You Don't Miss It Till It's Gone: Nobody's Perfect
by numina
Summary: [MERGE] Five hundred Heartless platoons plus one furious Princess of Heart equals trouble. Sokai Namixas. R&R.
1. Staying Alive

**A/N: **It's me again. Remember that companion fic I was planning _originally_ planning on writing? I decided it's got enough material to be a fanfic. So this fanfic is basically Trinity's timeline from a different point of view, focusing on the Nobodies' side of the story. (I that _really_ a good idea? Tell me people!) It can stand alone, _but_ I'd really advise you to keep up with the other one (You Don't Miss It Till It's Gone:Trinity, I also wrote _that_ one lol) first. This starts at the same time as Chapter 6 of Trinity.

**Summary:** They think and feel as they can only remember. Does he really love her, or is it only because _he_ loves _her_? How much of one's emotions can be borrowed?

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Kingdom Hearts, Roxas and Naminé would have had a happier ending.

**I: S**ta**_y_i**_ng__A**liv**_e

Naminé sighed as she watched Kairi record her day in her diary, listened as the pen scratched against the paper. Her _own_ hands itched, remembering how _her _pencils scratched against her _own_ sketchpad. Being stuck inside Kairi was... she couldn't put words to the feeling. (Not that she even _felt_ anything, she could only remember how to _feel_)

_Toc._

There was that infernal noise again. Kairi had a _lot_ of enemies, ever since she had begun to hang out with Sora and Riku. What was it with girls and boys anyway? What was this _jealousy_ that Kairi said they _felt_? (and so another pang of pain shot through her nonexistent heart, she berated herself, of course she can't--)

_Toc._

_Stupid noise._

"Stupid _rabid _fangirls," her Other agreed as she shut her diary closed and climbed onto their (_her!) _bed.

_Toc._

She tried to shut the noise out; she wasn't used to being disturbed every ten seconds or so; DiZ had seen to that.

_DiZ. I don't think I like him so much._

His bandaged face flashed before her memory's eye, that _hateful_ glowing amber orb that always seemed to appraise her as only an object; a tool. No matter how he begged forgiveness right before Kingdom Hearts destroyed him, she didn't have the heart to do so.

_Hey, that's pretty true._ This _revenge_ was so much a powerful feeling.

"Go away." Kairi said into her pillow.

_Toc._

Now Naminé agreed with her Other. It _was_ past midnight, and as far as she knew, normal (who's _crazy_ enough to call Organization XIII _normal_) people didn't keep their peace-abiding neighbors from sleeping peacefully.

"_Kairi! Open up!"_

Her consciousness flared. That voice was of a Wielder's. For a second there, she was _absolutely_ sure it was Roxas' voice calling out to Kairi. _Impossible_.

Roxas. The Nobody so much like her. The Nobody she _felt_ (screw feeling) sorry for, and she didn't even know _why_, at least, until she found out _she_ was Kairi's Nobody, and that _he_ was Sora's (told offhandedly by Ansem not-so-wise), and that she was only feeling (_remembering!)_ Kairi's affection for Sora, and vice versa.

Some things _really_ are better left unsaid.

_Toc._

_Stupid, stupid people, _Naminé screeched inside Kairi's mind, the consistent _toc_ against the window driving her _crazy_.

_Toc._

"That's _it!_" They yelled together (although she knew only Kairi's voice would be heard) as they (_she!_) threw the covers into a heap on the floor and stomped to the window, irritated beyond _reason_.

_Toc._

The windows were also thrown open (_not_ into a heap this time, though it seemed it was about to fall down) into a faceful of Roxas.

_And said faceful fell gracefully onto the floor,_ Naminé giggled.

"You are _so _dead," Kairi muttered irritably. Both looked on as he picked himself up and dusted himself off.

Her _nonexistent_ heart skipped a _nonexistent_ beat as she found herself staring into _this_ Nobody's eyes, knowing that he saw _her_, Naminé, not Kairi, knowing that _that_ (adorable _and_ goofy) grin was for _her_ alone.

"Thank _you _very much for inviting me in," he snickered at them, _still_ dusting off his shoulders. He cocked his head sideways and took a deep breath. "Now, Kairi, let Naminé go."

_Let me...go? _She wondered. She had done a lot of _fast_ thinking since Roxas fell into Kairi's room, but that _how_ stood out most in the flood of questions dammed up in her head.

"What on _earth_ do you think you're saying? And where the _hell_ is _Sora_? How'd you two get---"

_Oh my--- _Sora If Roxas existed separately, that meant his _Other_ had either done something _or _something had happened to the Wielder. And from how she'd known Sora, it was _most _possibly the second option. Kairi's mind was practically a medley of sirens and flashing alarms of _worry_.

Roxas shushed (the _both_ of them, she thought). "Naminé, come on. We're going back," he said quietly as he pushed Kairi back by prodding her head.

"Ro_xas_!"

_What do you mean, we're going back? Where's Sora? This better have a good explanation, Roxas._

She gasped as she heard Kairi hit the floor with a muffled _thud_ and a startled squeak. And, for the first time since Kingdom Hearts was sealed, she was _standing_ independently of her Other. Her eyes widened as she felt the night breeze blow through _her own_ locks of hair and saw moonbeams dance on her _own _skin. She whirled around, saw the bewildered look on Kairi's face, and shrugged as she helped her up, relishing the mere _feeling_ of touching the hand that once trapped her own.

A moonbeam traveled down her arm to shine on the mirror hanging behind her Other's bedroom door. A pale-skinned girl of age fifteen (another thing _borrowed _from Kairi) stared back at her with hauntingly blue eyes, not those violet eyes that she _always_ saw. Her knees suddenly threatened to give way.

"Is this...real?" she voiced the thought aloud, not really caring if anyone answered, because _now_ she was _happy_.

"Let's go, Nam," another voice cut across her thoughts, a hand held open in front of her. "Later, Kai. Thanks for keeping her safe," Roxas added.

She stared at his hand, palm up, and then looked up at Roxas' face. Trembling, she placed her hand in his, half expecting it to go transparent and go through.

It didn't.

She shut her eyes tight as she felt the familiar presence of a portal form around her, gripping Roxas' (he _did_ offer it, who cares if it was cut off from blood circulation by her fingernails digging into his wrist) hand as tightly as she could, fearing to get _lost_ again in their pathways, the _corridors _of darkness.

----------

­

"Tell me if I'm dreaming, because I'll do _anything_ not to wake up."

Roxas grinned (grinning was a luxury he could afford again), this time at Naminé's creased forehead as they trod the white halls of the Castle That Never Was. "Sadly, you're _not_ dreaming," he said, poking at her waist. "See? You would've woken up already if I did _that_."

"Riiight. And besides, I don't even _have _my _own_ dreams. Mine are just reflections of Kairi's." She peered up at him and stopped in the middle of the Hall of Empty Melodies.

"What?"

"How?"

Roxas shrugged and brushed past her (and her question too).

"Ro_xas_."

"C'mon, let's go, Naminé."

"Let's go _where_, exactly?" she pouted.

"To the only place where the _whole_ Organization XIII meets. I'll tell you _everything_ I know when we get there." _And let's see whether we both walk out of the meeting alive._

----------

"So let me get this straight. Sora---"

Axel sighed as Xemnas repeated something Roxas had basically been _repeating_ (with a few minor rephrasals here and there) over and over for the last half hour.

"Sora's locked inside Kindom Hearts."

"And exactly _how_ did he bring us... _back_?"

He glanced over the twelve chairs around him, each occupied by a fellow Organization member. Xemnas was nodding his head, those stray hairs sticking out at the sides of his forehead bobbing up and down. Xigbar's jaw moved; he was chewing gum _again_, nothing, not even Kingdom Hearts, could change _that_. Next to number II of course sat Xaldin, hunched over, those spears flying around him since this _meeting_ began. Vexen was also hunched over, but Axel had a nagging feeling he was _already_ thinking of all those _wonderful_ experiments he was planning to do once they caught Sora.

"Guilt," he scratched his head. "And I kinda annoyed him too much."

Lexaeus was sitting silently (not that _that_ was unusual, Lex wasn't much of a talker). Zexion, as always, was looking bored to death, his one visible eye half-closed. Axel narrowed his eyes at Saïx (who returned the gesture with a snarl). Well, Saïx _was_ Superior's little tattletale, who wouldn't hate him for that?

_Oh, wait. We can't feel hate, anyway._

"No, no, the _process_."

"I already _told_ you, Superior, he _is_ the key to Kingdom Hearts, so he can, technically, open it whenever he wants."

Axel rolled his eyes; the Superior wasn't _that_ slow. He just couldn't believe that the _kid_ who killed them was crazy enough to bring them back. Not one of them did.

"His _heart_ is the key...?"

"Actually I think it's _him_, body, heart, and soul. It's a kind of security measure."

"And...?"

Demyx was twirling a strand of water around his finger (miraculously, he _still_ hadn't tried to disrupt the meeting so far) as he stared ahead. Luxord was stroking that moustache of his, apparently appraising (_appraising!)_ the situation at hand, cards floating in a circle over his head. He quickly passed his glance over Marluxia and Larxene, knowing that one wrong look would earn him either a beheading or ten kunais in his back (ahh, Castle Oblivion, the memories still jar him).

"What about _her?_" Superior leaned forward, staring down at the two figures standing in the middle of the circle of white (high?) chairs.

"Naminé?" he asked as he pulled her closer (not that they were close before anyway, Naminé was practically _clinging_ to Roxas' arm), staring back up at number One. "So?"

Axel's brows drew together as he looked at the blonde-haired girl. He knew she _knew_ her feelings were only borrowed (DiZ was _so_ much of an eloquent madman), so why was she clinging to _his_ best friend like _that_?

_I'm not jealous! I can't _feel_ jealous!_

"We can use her..."

"No!" Roxas yelled. "No using anyone! You don't _know_ what it's like to be used!"

"And since when did you have a say in this, _traitor?_" Saïx said nonchalantly, swinging one leg over the armrest.

Roxas lowered his murderous (who thought Roxas could even _look_ murderous?) gaze. However, Naminé stepped forward.

"He's _not_ a traitor, Xemnas." A little gasp ran around and echoed off the walls, _nobody_ called the Superior anything _other_ than Superior, as number _one_, it was an unwritten rule. Xemnas narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"He just wanted to meet Sora, that's all. Don't judge him on wanting to be whole. You all do, right?"

"Naminé, please, stop." Roxas put a hand on her shoulder. "They're right. I shouldn'tve turned on the Organization. We _all_ want to be whole."

_I'm not jealous!_

"Right. You should've at least talked to _us_ before going," the blue-haired berserker (well, he _did_ control Berserkers) rolled his eyes. "Like a certain member who _turned_ on us too."

"Shut it, Saïx," Axel said, meeting his gaze.

"Oh, he's more of a traitor than Roxas ever will be," Marluxia added, twirling a lock of hair offhandedly.

"Thinking just because he's a few digits _higher_ he can go and do us in," Larxene drew one of her kunais and flung it at where his head would've been if he hadn't ducked.

"And _who _again started betraying in the first place?" He answered angrily, summoning both chakrams (and using them to parry another thrown knife). "Not me, flower boy."

"You're asking for it!" Marluxia roared as his (dangerously pink) scythe flared to life in his hand.

"Leave Axel alone!" Roxas yelled, pushing Naminé backwards as both hands clutched a Keyblade each.

"_Silence!_" Xemnas bellowed. (and so the room fell silent like only Xemnas can say) "We are _not_ claiming Kingdom Hearts if you act as little _children_! Put the _past_ behind! I will _not_ stand to lose another Organization member again!"

Axel slumped back in his seat, knowing that there was a _very_ slim chance he'll stay alive in this castle for more than three seconds.

----------

Naminé was scared.

She had never been in a place with more than thirteen people, let alone the _hundreds_ milling around in the quad.

"Tell me again _why_ we're here." She asked the blonde boy beside her, who shrugged.

"Superior told us we have to... well, go somewhere _safe_."

Well, Xemnas had a point. Between kunais, chakrams, a scythe, the occasional claymore, and drastic elemental spells, the Castle That Never Was was hardly what you'd call a _haven_ for Nobodies (_whatever_ Xemnas said).

"But why do we have to go _here_?"

"We're fifteen-year olds. We have to study _somewhere_. Vexen's a great teacher, but he _really_ creeps me out."

Another point there. Vexen's laboratory (situated somewhere beside the leaking dungeons and Luxord's secret whiskey stash) wasn't exactly _conducive_ to studying (it was really hard to ignore those pickled..._things_ in jars).

"But why do we have to study, of all places, in _Destiny Academy_?" she sighed, hauling her bookbag up her shoulder as they started walking through the crowd (which, she noticed, were staring at them as they passed.)

"What? You _agreed_ to study here." Roxas grinned (and some of the _other _girls grinned back) at her. "And their uniform suits you."

She stuck out her tongue at him as she brushed nonexistent dust from her plaid skirt (it _was_ the shortest thing that she had ever worn) nervously. Oh, she _was_ scared. She glanced over her shoulder (some guy whistled) to see whether there was _any_ place here where it wasn't crowded.

"Oh, Ro_xas_, _it's her_." She squeaked, seeing Kairi and Riku walk through the gates of the school.

"_Shoot_," he pulled her past the crowd behind a white (although not as white as the Castle's paint job) concrete pillar. "Whatever happens, Nam, _don't_ tell them Sora's locked inside Kingdom Hearts."

"Why not? Kairi's worried sick about him!"

"It's what Sora wants," he bit his lip. "If they know, both of them will rush headfirst into danger, and that's _exactly_ why Sora left. I don't want to interfere with what he's doing."

"Are you _crazy!_ What am I going to tell them then?"

Roxas thought, bowing his head. "That we... don't remember anything."

"And Organization XIII?"

"Not a word."

She fell silent. "For how long are we going to keep this up?"

"Until... well, we'll see."

"This isn't _right_, Roxas."

"I know. For Sora, okay?"

Naminé sighed. "Okay. For Sora."

----------

Roxas watched as Naminé pulled him back into the crowd, yelling out Riku's name.

"_Riku_!" she ran towards the platinum-haired Wielder and flung her arms around his waist.

For some strange reason he felt irritated.

_I can't feel. So why am I... _jealous

"Riku, it's so nice to finally be able to _hug_ you," she said, her voice muffled against his chest.

_I can't feel. Period._

"Naminé, you're suffocating him," Roxas grinned. Well, she deserved _this_. It was a wonderful feeling when you had your _own_ body. Most people took that for granted.

"Naminé, _geroff me_."

"Oh!" he watched her cheeks rapidly turn several degrees of red when she realized what she was doing (and good thing, too, people were _staring_), and she let her arms fall to her sides. "Sorry. Got kinda...carried away."

Then he had that _odd_ feeling someone was watching (and possibly trying to bore a hole in him) his every move. His grin slid from his face when he saw Kairi's expression.

"Naminé! Ro_xas!_"

He sighed inwardly as he caught Naminé's eye. She nodded a fraction of an inch. _And so the lying begins_.

A loud ringing noise echoed throughout the Academy, signalling the start of first period. He could've _melted_ into a puddle on the floor with sheer relief.

"Bother," he said in what he was inwardly praying a normal tone. He remembered something Olette had ranted about Twilight Academy. "This school better _not_ have independent studies," he huffed, motioning to Naminé as they went on to their first class, Materia Handling.

She giggled beside him.

----------

So there. If I squeezed in this story with the main one Trinity it'll be like 50 chapters long, and readers would get _really_ lost. Besides, I like Roxas and Naminé, and Organization XIII (don't like it? tell me then). Updates will most likely be weekly, so please... _review_! Fewer reviews mean few people even _bother_ to tell me whether I'm doing something right... -sniffs-

Also check out _Alive_, a oneshot I wrote about Roxas and Naminé. Reviews appreciated.

Review. Please. (now I'm _really_ whining -sticks out tongue at Roxas-)


	2. Borrowed

**A/N:** Hmmm... been quite a while since I last updated. It's going to be weekly, you see. So sorry, but I'm kinda thinking whether I should post two chapters at once. Anyway, I've gotten fed up with the stupid posters; I'll try finishing the game in Proud Mode. Heaven help me with Xigbar and his hyperactive lances. Oh yeah, I'd really follow with the Trinity fic if I were you. You'd understand this story better. So it's kinda compulsory (I'm a sneaky little git, aren't I?).

**Summary:** They think and feel as they can only remember. Does he really love her, or is it only because _he_ loves _her_? How much of one's emotions can be borrowed?

**Disclaimer: **So yeah, I don't own Kingdom Hearts like the million other fanfic writers out there. Unless Tetsuya Nomura's writing somewhere here.

**II: **B**or**_r**ow**e_**d**

"Hey, Nam, wait up!"

"You should've woken up earlier. Just because we can get anywhere in a second doesn't mean you can get up, like, five minutes before we leave."

"C'mon, sorry already!" Roxas made one of those huge puppy-eyed looks he was notorious in the Organization for as he followed the blonde-haired Nobody out of the Hall of Empty Melodies.

Axel rolled his eyes as he leaned on the balcony, unseen by the people below. Not that he was _spying_ (only that tattletale Saïx did _that_) , he was just... observing. Observing was something Axel was good at; it was handy when you're part of a group of thirteen heartless people. (Were they even considered _people_? That was something Vexen tried to explain in one of his unbelievable _lectures_ during meetings. The _boredom_, and so Demyx, without fail, always disrupted _those_ kind of long-winded meetings.)

Thirteen heartless people...and one memory witch.

Oh no, he wasn't the one who said that, it was that mummified guy called DiZ. Some of Xaldin's snipers spread the word that this DiZ guy was really Xemnas' Other's mentor. (_Huh?)_ In short, the guy Xehanort's Heartless got his name from; Ansem the Wise. And so he figured_ not _so wise because _he_ was destroyed by Kingdom Hearts, underestimating the power of the most colossal heart in existence. Shouldn't the term _most colossal_ be a clue?

He sighed at the surrealness of it all.

Which, brings Organization XIII (okay, plus one memory witch, _remember that_) to mind.

He'd very much like to go out himself and find Sora and ask him why the hell he brought them back. Was _guilt_ such a strong feeling?

How would he know? _He's_ a Nobody, after all. Nobodies can't feel, they can only _remember_ how to feel.

And again, which brings us back to a certain memory witch. Oh _no_, he wasn't obsessed with Naminé Dalmasca (borrowing her Other's _name_? He deemed it insulting.), he was just... wondering what she _was_ doing (and what she was _going_ to do). To repeat for further emphasis, Nobodies can only _remember_ how to feel, and as far as he knew, Naminé knew she was feeling Kairi's feelings for Sora who was now Roxas. (So he sighed, it was a bit complicated, how the _heart_ works with memory.)

_And_ Roxas has Sora's feelings for Kairi, who's Naminé's Other.

_Go Axel. Try understanding something you don't have._

Roxas _was_ his best friend. (_Friends, not _that perverted thing everyone else thinks He was the only one that made him feel like he had his _own_ heart. So naturally he'd want him back as his best friend. (and it also helped having someone to watch your back when Larxene's chucking knives at you) Go figure.

Minus a memory witch.

_I'm not jealous_!

----------

"What? Is there someting wrong with my face?" Roxas asked the brunette beside him.

She blushed deeply and hastily tore away her (strangely glassy) gaze from him. "S-sorry."

He shrugged as he turned to glance at the wall clock. Just a few more minutes of Worlds History. Just a few more minutes of enduring stares from his classmates. Well, for the girl population. If looks could kill (and those looks some of the guys directed at him were _frightening_) he would've been dead at least a month ago.

The blonde boy on his other side snickered as he elbowed Roxas in the ribs, pointing discreetly behind him.

"Stop it, Tidus," he hissed, knowing that he was pointing at the group of girls giggling behind him. It was a miracle that the teacher still hadn't noticed.

"Lover boy," Tidus shot back, snickering again.

"Shut it, or Yuna'll get an earful."

_That_ shut him up. (not counting the occasional malicious grin.)

"Class, the principal told me to remind you of the Halloween Dance this coming Sixth Day," the professor, a wizened man named Radius, legendary for his impeccable memory, said. "Partners are allowed, but _no_ forcing someone to be yours." (and for some _unknown _reason the prof glanced at Roxas.)

Whispers broke out all over. Roxas' blood ran cold with the number of times he heard _his_ name whispered. The bell rung, loud, clear, and blessedly on time.

"Starts at six, ends at exactly one. Costumes are required. Class dismissed."

He stuffed his textbook into his book bag hurriedly, then followed Tidus outside (carefully avoiding anyone else's eyes) into the crowd that was present every dismissal. He tried staring straight ahead, ignoring the high-pitched giggles behind him.

"What're you going as?" Tidus asked him, snapping Roxas out of his evasive maneuvering.

"No idea... you?"

"Kinda thinking I'll go as a pirate..."

A grin spread across his face. "So.. you gonna ask Yu--" He was cut short by a very violent foot stomping on his own.

"Er, hi Yuna," He choked out, seeing the girl in question standing in front of him.

"Is everything okay?" She said softly (no surprise--she was _always_ soft-spoken) as she peered up at him, her one long bead earring (it wasn't as heavy as it looked, she said once) clinking. "You look like someone just stepped on your foot or something."

"Yeah, everything's fine... Tidus here..." _another_ grin spread across his face as a (decidedly evil) idea came to mind.

"Hey, Yuna," the blonde grinned (no doubtedly thinking that she's the most beautiful girl he's ever seen, hey, _he_ told Roxas so), scratching his head.

"Yes, Tidus.. you feeling a bit.. feverish? You look really red, you know. You might want to step out of stuffy places like---"

"Tidus," Roxas cut across her, "You wanted to ask Yuna something, right?"

Yuna smiled. "Really..?" (Roxas had the feeling, okay, _remembering_ the feeling that Yuna knew what this was about.)

Tidus shot him a look that could melt steel. He grinned back as he spun on his heels and walked as fast as he possibly could without looking that he really _was_ walking as fast as he could.

_That...was kinda fulfilling_. He laughed out loud, ignoring people's stares (so _what_, he was used to those now) as he walked to the place (actually, it was the elementary department's _treehouse_) where he and Naminé agreed to meet and portal out together (people _might_ freak out if they were seen appearing from apparently nowhere). He and Naminé... well, they were...Nobodies born of two people who loved each other. So naturally, _they_ would love each other too. But Naminé had, actually, fallen _hard_ for Riku Alcaia. Not that Nobodies couldn't _feel_, that wasn't what bugged him the most, but it was the fact that Naminé had fallen for somebody _else_ than him, when _they_ were the ones who were supposed to be with each other.

As Vexen said, the heart is a complicated thing.

"Hi!"

He stopped walking, startled. Huge mistake. He was soon surrounded by girls. What was it with _girls_ in this school!

"You're Roxas, right?"

"For a transferee, he sure is hot!"

"He looks just like _Sora!_" (said comment was accompanied by high-pitched squeals).

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"I bet that girl Naminé's his girlfriend?"

"Already taken? Oh man!"

"Uh," Roxas said loudly. "Nam's not my girl." he shifted his weight from left to right. "Do you gu--girls need something?" _That_ started a cacophony of voices. It was driving him _nuts_.

"Hey, Roxas!" a familiar _guy's_ voice called. The girls parted right down in the middle as they stared at Riku almost reverently.

"Whoa."

"Could you...lay off him for a bit?" Riku asked a random girl. "Thanks very much, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle looked ready to faint. "O-of course, R-r-riku."

"Jeez... they looked like they were ready to eat me or something," Roxas sighed with relief, staring at the girls' retreating backs. He had started to regret leaving Tidus with Yuna; he could've used some backup with _those_ rabid people.

"Don't worry, they'll stop sooner or later." Riku laughed, shaking his platinum hair out of his eyes (_That_ was something Riku was very touchy about, _never_ talk about his hair. _Ever._ He learned it the hard way.) as he walked with Roxas. "Where're you going?"

"Uh," he paused. He couldn't tell Riku that he was going to portal out sooner or later, and The Castle that Never Was was _impossible_ to reach on foot (for humans, anyway). "I was going to wait for Naminé.. we go home together." _That_ was technically true.

"_Home_..."

Roxas _hated_ lying.

----------

The air smelled of burned _something_.

Which meant either two things.

Demyx was _again_ attempting to cook unbelievably complicated recipes. Or that _Axel_ had just passed through.

Larxene wrinkled her nose. _The smell of a traitor_. Maluxia had told her _that_. The little (okay so _fine_, Axel wasn't so little anyore) bastard turned on their alliance by releasing the memory _witch_ Naminé, who was central to their plans. And _that_ happened after the Keyblade Wielder killed _her_.

She _died _because she trusted Axel. _That_ pissed her off.

Superior had granted them amnesty, all of them, and they started all over (or so he said). With thirteen Nobodies, emotionless and morality-less, conspiracy and violence were _very_ much common.

She chucked a kunai at some random door she passed. The Castle That Never Was _still_ wasn't finished, after all this time. Some of the Dusks had refused to work (she even saw a group of those white jumpsuits _rallying_ outside the Superior's door) and demanded more rest hours (Like Nobodies could _feel_ angry and _be_ demanding). A few light sabers aimed at the right places quelled said rebellion and resulted in more than a few scorched Dusks.

Should _she_ be feeling pity? _No._ She was notorious as the most merciless when it comes to _pain_. And when she gets her hands on Axel, he'll know _why_.

She leaned over the railing of Naught's Skyway and stared _down _(and when they say down, they really mean endless void of the World That Never Was), imagining she was throwing Axel over the edge. She grinned. That's why they call her a _sadist_. The random thoughts she has always have something to do with _pain_. She walked on (_why_ was she walking, anyway? She could just portal anywhere) into the Hall of Empty Melodies, and spotted the very object of her disdain.

"Axeeel," she said in a little singsong voice (Demyx really _was_ a master of annoyance) and grinned at the expression on the pyromaniac's face. "I'm going to kill youuu." She aimed no less than four knives at his face. Not surprisingly, he portaled out.

"Coward!" she called. "Scared of a _girl_?"

"You know," she froze," when you go and kill someone, you don't usually _announce_ that you're going to."

"Well, at least you know who killed you!"

"What? Is that supposed to make me sad or something?" A chakram flew past her head, missing her face by inches (and burning the top of her nose in the process). She spun around and threw knives at him, following his footsteps in a wide circle.

"When I kill you we'll be _even_. You are _so_ dead!"

"I didn't do _anything_; you just pissed Sora off badly. You kinda dug your own grave."

She cast a lightning bolt, singeing only the back of Axel's coat as he ran across the balcony.

"Shut up! You killed me and you know it! You _traitor_! We had an alliance!"

"You and Marluxia were turning on the _Organization!_ You got what you deserved!"

"_Hah_! You admit it! _Killer_!"

"Aren't we _all_?"

----------

_Plick_. The lead broke, smearing the white paper of the sketchpad. Nothing that an eraser can't fix.

_Haha_. _Nothing_ that an eraser can't fix.

_Naminé, you're pathetic._

The blonde sighed as she drew her hair to one side and continued drawing. She couldn't concentrate; Roxas' face kept popping up in her mind. Nobodies _don't_ have feelings to hurt, right?

Then why was she almost ­_dying_ of nervousness now? (and why was she even _feeling_ nervous?)

"Drawing again?"

She jerked her head at the boy in question, leaning against the doorframe of the _treehouse_ (chosen in a momentary lapse of sanity).

"Um," She _hated_ DiZ right now for telling _her_ and _not_ telling Roxas.

"What? Something bothering you?" he sat (more like collapsed) beside her. "Fanboys kissing up again?" (he grinned at that, perverted person that he is.)

"Actually, something _is_ bothering me." She averted her gaze from Roxas' cerulean eyes; she might not be able to do this if she didn't.

"Something about _us_, right?" he said quietly, his face wearing that _look_ he was famous in the Organization for.

Oh, why hadn't DiZ _told_ Roxas at least _before_ he had merged with Sora? She took a deep breath.

"What do _you_ see me as, Roxas Hikari?"

He bit his lip. "Naminé... You're... you're..." he looked away.

Do Nobodies _really_ have no feelings to hurt? Well, if she had a heart, it would be _breaking_ right about _now_.

"Listen. You love me, don't you? Roxas, please..."

He nodded weakly, the blonde shards of hair bobbing up and down.

"...and I love you too, but because we're only borrowing our Other's feelings." She said all that in one breath, praying that Roxas would not go all violent on her (Organization XIII members seemed to do that a _lot_). "DiZ told me that. I'm from Sora. You're from Kairi. They love each other, and because of _their_ feelings, we _love_ each other too."

"So we're just feeling_ borrowed_ emotions?" he sighed belatedly. "I..."

"Some things are better left unsaid, but this one _really_ has to get out. We can't go _on _living borrowed lives, Roxas."

He stood up and Naminé moved back. "So _what_ can we do, huh? We're _Nobodies_, if you haven't noticed; we weren't even supposed to _exist_, we're just a huge, stupid _mistake_!" He yelled, breathing hard.

"Everything happens for something---"

"But we're _nothing_, Naminé! Nothing at all..." he sank back down beside her, head down.

"Roxas..."

"It's okay, Nam. I'll try _not_ to love you because I'm only Sora's Nobody."

"Ro---"

"But promise me we're still friends, okay?" he grinned.

She stared at him. He was having one of those violent mood swings Sora always had. Burning mad one second, happy as hell the next. _Who cares_, she thought. As long as he _knew_, well, that lifted off the guilt. (and again, she asked herself: _could_ she even _feel_?)

"You're the weirdest Nobody I know, Roxas. Of _course_ we're still friends."

"Buddies."

"Best friends."

"Study mates."

"Advisers to each other."

"You're _still_ my partner at the Halloween Dance, right? Don't leave me at the mercy if those...those maniacs they call _girls_ here."

"I'm a girl, Roxas."

"_Please_ please please," he made one of those huge puppy-eyed looks.

She laughed. "Just don't get me killed or something."

He laughed too. "As if _anyone_ would try."

Laughter is a good thing, Naminé decided. Even if it's only _borrowed_.

----------

Da-dun! Roxaminé guys, spare me the lashing! Will Roxas and Naminé stay friends (_only_ friends) forever? Keep up with the chapters then!

Also, I decided to be evil today, so I'm waiting for a certain number of _reviews_ before posting the next chapter. Trinity works that way too. So please, _please_, review! Flamers, go, take your best shot; don't worry, I won't send you death threats or anything.

Go! Read! Review! You get a free cookie (or tons, it depends on your server). See ya!


	3. Starry Starry Night

**A/N: **Hey it's me again. I give up, I'll write this fic even if nobody likes it. Go flame me or anything, I don't care. Yes, I'm thinking whether to make this and Trinity a tragedy, because I think the last chapter has the theme "Always on my Mind" from the KH1 soundtrack. You go hear it, it's a sad, sad piece.

**Summary:** They think and feel as they can only remember. Does he really love her, or is it only because _he_ loves _her_? How much of one's emotions can be borrowed?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts, obviously.

**III: Starry Starry Night**

She didn't think Roxas' face could lose color_ that _fast.

"You're kidding, right?"

She shook her head bemusedly as she straightened a stray feather in front of her mirror. Demyx was _such_ a good costume maker. She didn't know what came over _Larxene_ when she offered to make her a halo. She had misgivings on anything that had to do with Larxene; why a week ago she and Axel almost turned the castle library into tiny pieces of rubble. Maybe the violent streaks kinda dried out?

She watched Roxas collapse on her bed and sigh.

"It's on every poster of this _dance_, Roxas. There's tiny little letters on the top that says "Academy of Destiny Islands and _Twilight_ Academy presents" then in huge font "Annual Halloween Dance". It's right there, you know."

"Who even _reads_ the fine print? Man, I should've known!"

"What's so wrong about Twilight Academy, anyway? I mean..." she trailed off at the look on his face. "Oh. _That_."

"No, there's nothing wrong about it, really, it's just that..." he sighed again. "It's going to be so hard to see everyone. Hayner, Pence, Olette, Fuu... even Seifer. I recognize them but they don't. Even if they were my best friends or mortal enemies... Still."

Naminé tore away her gaze from Roxas' forlorn face. Guilt gnawed at her (why was she even _feeling_ guilt? go figure) because _she_ was the one who chained those people's memories, _she_ was why no-one in Twilight Town remembered a Roxas ever came into their lives. DiZ can take some of the credit (hey, he was the one who _told_ her to do so; she didn't really jump for joy whenever she manipulated memories) but it was really _her_ doing. She really _did_ try her best not to, but Sora was the only one who could restore their hearts.

"Nam, don't. It's not your fault."

"It _is_." She said quietly as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to dry the tears that were threatening to fall. 'I did it because I wanted to be whole so much. I was selfish. I---"

"C'mon. I hate seeing girls cry," he said in what Naminé hoped was a comforting voice (there's something about Nobodies; sometimes their emotions are just so hard to _read_) as he placed a hand on her shoulder and wiped her tears on his other sleeve. "Forget about it."

"Memory witch as I am, I can't chain my _own_ memories, Roxas, "she sniffed.

Roxas suddenly laughed. "I didn't mean it too _literally_, Nam. Stop crying already, because you're kinda ugly when your eyes are all puffed up and red like that."

Her forehead wrinkled at the comment. Funny how one simple sentence can make you feel the opposite. (oh, remembering feeling). Distraught as she was she couldn't help but laugh. She shoved him off and laughed again.

"Shut it, _Roxie_."

"Don't call me _that_."

She blinked. Somehow, at some point back in time, they both had said the same thing. And from the surprise on Roxas' face, he had noticed it too. (**a/n: **readers of Alive: XD) "What's that...?"

"Déja vu, I think," he said. "But whatever it is, _don't_ call me Roxie. Ever. Let's go already and get this dance over with."

----------

Axel watched as Roxas and Naminé created a joint entrance into the Corridors and portaled out. They (as he heard Roxas explain to a very amused Xemnas) were going to their Academy's annual Halloween dance, in full costume. Well, he _had _to admit, Naminé looked _stunning_ as an angel (what? he _did_ notice how girls look, thank you very much). He didn't quite approve of Roxas' costume, however. It _was_ a costume party, so he had expected Roxas would, at least, have _some_ burst of inspiration. The idiot dressed as a _Nobody_, for crying out loud (no matter how eloquently he tried to say that he was an _unknown_, not a nobody).

Party. Dance. Was there any difference between the two?

Whatever. As far as he could remember (from his Other's memories, that is) dances were stuffy meetings between people he didn't know. _Oh_, wait. A smile crept into his face as he remembered how his _Other's_ promenade went.

"Why are you smiling?"

Axel snapped out of his daydreaming to find Larxene staring at him, a puzzled expression on her face. He waited for her to throw the usual kunai at him.

"Why are you smiling?" She asked again. He noticed her arms were crossed; he'd have enough warning if she decided to throw one.

"What? Never seen me smile before, Larx?"

Larxene flinched; Axel knew calling her by that nickname often set off one of her violent streaks of anger. But she only flinched. What was up with _her_? Had she taken something Vexen made to calm her? Maybe she had just killed a fellow Organization XIII member. _Yeah_, maybe that was it. She shook her head as if she read his mind.

"I've seen you smile far too many times more than I'd care to, but I know whether you're forcing one or if you really _are_ smiling." She walked up to him and peered into his face. Axel's mouth fell open; he never knew Larxene even _noticed_ his expressions, much less _know_ whether he was faking it or not. _And_ this was the closest she ever got to him without drawing a knife. "And right now you're smiling because I think you're _happy_," she continued.

Axel stared at her. Since _when_ did she care about what he felt (fine, _remembered_ feeling)? "I--I (and for some reason he seemed at a loss for words) remembered something. Something happy. Got it memorized?"

"Do I really _want_ to memorize something that you're not even really feeling?"

"Shut up Larxene, don't remind me," he huffed as he turned around and started to walk away. He _knew_ it. Whether physical, mental, or emotional torture, she knew it all.

"I remember my Other's first dance," he heard a quiet voice say behind him. He shut his mouth before it even fell open as he spun to face the blonde-haired Nobody. "Huh?"

"It was a palace ball," Larxene continued dreamily (_yes_, believe it or not, she was _capable_ of doing that) as she leaned against the white wall of this white hallway, sighing. "At first she hated it, but it was there she met her perfect match... dances are _so_ memorable..." she trailed off.

"Are you _really _Larxene?" Axel asked, not believing that number 12 (she's the _Savage _Nymph! as in _savage!_) could even say something about _love_ so easily. No _Nobody_ talked about emotions easily (look at Zexion---he's forgone emotion altogether).

She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think you were _that_ stupid, Axel."

_That's_ the Larxene he knew. So far.

"Then why talk about... dances...?"

"Don't deny it, you were smiling because _you_ remembered your Other's first dance." She smiled knowingly. Another first. Usually (okay, so always) she sneered. She never smiled a sincere smile. Right until now. How did he know _she_ wasn't faking it?

Her royal blue eyes were smiling too.

"Stop staring at me, you idiot."

----------

As far as she had read on dances, _this_ was exactly how she envisioned one was like.

The clearing in the middle of the forest where Advanced SHM (**a/n:** Sword Handling and Maneuvering) field training was often held had been transformed into a posh restaurant. With all the fixings. Black-tied waiters circulated around tables seated for ten, carrying trays of assorted food (_hey_ that looked something like wine!) The mood lighting was taken care of multicolored paper lamps that she had seen Selphie carrying around the last few days (And get singed by improper Materia handling in the process).

And the people themselves. Costumes of all sizes and shapes. Some took ideas from History; she had spotted at least three High Summoners (and one blushing Gunner) and four High Guardians (none of which were originally blonde). Some dressed as Heartless (The Rare Truffle guy was just so _adorable_) and Nobodies (white jumpsuited people) who got the Nobody symbol wrong (hey, she should be mad, _she_ drew that symbol!). She caught sight of a Chocobo once. Of course there were the usual: ghosts, dead people with knives sticking out of their ribs (they really _should_ see how Demyx looked like after a training session with Larxene), vampires, zombies, mummified people, and all the scary things young kids dream about at night.

"This is just _amazing_," Roxas said beside her, his eyes even wider than they usually are. "The things Selphie can do..."

Naminé grinned. And of course nobody would comment on what Roxas was wearing unless _they_ were Nobodies themselves.

"You could've gone as a chocobo or something."

She received a withering look as a reply.

"Naminé! Roxas!" Tidus waved energetically from a table in front of them.

"There they are," she giggled, pulling Roxas by the sleeve.

He rolled his eyes and let himself get dragged along. Then he suddenly stopped short as Hayner and Olette blocked the way between the chairs. Hayner (dressed as a SeeD) raised an eyebrow as he led Olette up to where they stopped. Naminé could feel Roxas tense up as they came nearer and _stopped_ next to them. For a split second she thought they were going to recognize Roxas.

"Uhhh..." Hayner trailed off. Olette shoved him in the ribs. "Excuse us...?"

Roxas bit his lip.

"Sure," Naminé shrugged as she went to Roxas' side to let them pass through. She patted his back comfortingly as he muttered something along the lines of "not even a simple 'haven't I seen you before' or something'. "Rox..."

"Was that Roxas?" Olette suddenly piped up, making them stare at her. "Haven't we ever _met_ before, Roxas?"

"Yeah...you look familiar..." Hayner added.

Naminé glanced at Roxas.

"Um, whoever you are...I don't think so." he said flatly. She could only nod in agreement as guilt suddenly popped up in her head.

"Obviously," Olette giggled, making Hayner roll his eyes. "I'm Olette, and this is Hayner. From Twilight Academy."

"Right. This is Naminé, I'm Roxas. We're both from Acad of Destiny."

"Wow, catchy nickname," the brunette smiled as Hayner put an arm around her shoulders. Naminé couldn't help but smile at the spontaneous display of affection. "Come 'round our table, 'kay? We're way over _there_," she pointed out to a corner.

"The table with Tidus' twin, yeah," Roxas grinned. "See you."

"Nice meeting you, Hayner, Olette," Naminé waved her hand goodbye as she watched the couple thread their way through the maze of tables. She didn't have the heart (really, she _didn't_) to tell Roxas what she overheard the two say as they parted ways.

"_Hey, Olette, now I know why he's so familiar."_

_"Huh?"_

_"It's like he's the reflection of Sora."_

"_Yeah..."_

----------

Marluxia looked up from the sunflowers he was examining. He couldn't believe who just portaled in.

"Larxene, if you haven't noticed, you're in the wrong place."

"I'm not," replied the blonde nonchalantly as she walked among his carefully tended garden situated in a secluded corner of Radiant Garden (actually not just secluded, but heavily guarded by some Snipers he borrowed from Xigbar). The World That Never Was wasn't exactly suited to gardening. Some gardeners have problems with the lack of sunlight; Marluxia had problems because there was_ no _sunlight.

His brows drew together as he tried to flip stray hairs out of his face and glower at the same time. "_Don't_ touch anything."

"I'm not," she said again as she disappeared behind a cherry blossom tree (his favorite one), staring up at the swirling blizzard of petals (and when Marluxia used them, Demyx usually called it Swirling-Pink-Blizzard-of-Agonizing-Death)that was expected this season.

"What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Looking. Isn't it obvious?" She rolled her eyes. Typical of her. "Marly, has Kingdom Hearts twisted your common sense or something?"

"I didn't think you were the type who likes flowers.You're called the _Savage_ Nymph."

"As in _barbaric_? Is that what you're thinking? I'm a _girl_, Marly."

Something was _definitely_ up with Larxene.

"Have you been drinking Vexen's potions? Are you a test subject? Or did you just leave some drink that could tempt Demyx to taint?"

"No." She was staring up into the branches of cherry blossoms, her mouth slightly open. Was it just him, or did she look like she was actually _enjoying_ this?

"What the _hell_ is up with you?" He asked frustratedly.

"Nothing." She faced him, puzzled. "I just wanted to take a break."

"From _what_? From being the most merciless of Organization XIII!"

"Yeah."

Marluxia sighed. He had meant the last part as a joke. This conversation was going nowhere.

"Marly, have you ever thought what's the first thing you'll do after you get your own heart?" Larxene asked him, that usually sardonic tone absent.

"Huh?"

"Like..what's the first thing that comes to your mind?"

He frowned. Was the heartless Savage Nymph just a facade? Was _this_ really who Larxene was; a calm and enjoyable young lady? It was unthinkable that Larxene was anyone _else_ than the one who provoked Sora's anger in Castle Oblivion, that she was anyone _else_ than a sadistic Nobody. And _why_ would she hide behind such a facade? Maybe _that _was how she was able to be so unmerciful. And maybe that was why he chose her to be part of the plan to take over Castle Oblivion.

"Marly, I think you should go to Vex, Kingdom Hearts must've messed up with your head for you to keep spacing out like that." Larxene said loudly.

"I'm _not_ spacing out. Larx... what are you _really_ like? Are you just pretending to be somebody else?"

"Easy on the philosophical questions," she shrugged. "Am I really _that_ different when I'm non-violent?"

"_Yes_."

She shrugged again. "It's not easy to be the only female in a group of thirteen psychos. No offense, but that's what we are, or what we want others to see, because essentially we've got nothing. We're only huge mistakes. All you guys have something to be feared. Me? My Other was a priestess in her time. Gentle, kind... everything I strive to be not, because I _want_ to be different. I'm not a shadow, I'm not a reflection, I'm who _I_ am. And it's fun to see you guys run away whenever I'm in one of my violent streaks."

"And you _trust_ me not to tell anyone else this (the way Organization XIII works, any hint of weakness could be exploited) piece of your existence?" he asked unbelievingly, still quite surprised that Larxene's mind worked that way.

"Yes. We stood by each other in Castle Oblivion. That's enough for me."

"Larx..." he trailed off, grateful for the fact that someone _trusted_ him in this circle of incomplete people.

"Don't worry, sooner or later I'll get violent again and I'm going to go kill Axel." She giggled softly. "I'm still thinking _how_, but I'll cross the bridge when I get there."

Marluxia smiled as the sakura petals continued to fall. Somehow Larxene had a human side, too, even if she was a Nobody. No heart, doomed to existence. The Savage Nymph; now laughing under a snowfall of pink. Not sadistically, not sarcastically, but because she was _happy_, even if she was just remembering how.

"Marly, this tree is _great_!"

Now he knew what he the first thing he was going to do when he had his heart restored. He'd laugh and be _happy_.

"Larx, you're really something..." he said quietly as he watched the blonde play among the petals.

----------

"You _can_ sing!" Roxas grinned at a Naminé who had just collapsed on the vacant chair next to him. She had just performed in front of the whole student body; a slow version of a song titled "Sanctuary". "_Really_ fits the moment! Aaand loverboy there---"

"Shut it, Rox," she cut him off, shooting him a glare. "_You_ looked like you were really enjoying yourself with _Kairi_."

"What? It's just a dance!" He shot back, ignoring the fact that his ears were heating up. So _what_ if he danced with Kairi? Almost e_very_ (as he had learned in the boy's bathroom) male student in the school liked her; she was a very approachable girl. Always had a ready smile for everyone. "Besides, everyone else wants to dance with her, I'm lucky I got to dance with her (right after teaching a furiously blushing Riku how to slow dance--_no_, he did not want to tell Naminé that Kairi was giving Riku a crash course on slow dance while _she_ was singing), there's some kind of a line for her last dance or something."

"A line? Seriously."

Roxas rolled his eyes, Naminé still haven't noticed the guys who were _actually_ fighting over who would get to dance with her first. He took a fork and speared a random fruit off a random plate, sticking it in his mouth.

"What is _that_?"

He swallowed. It was like a cross between a mango and a peach. "I dunno. I think it's safe to eat, anyway."

She reached for her own fork. "Mind if I take a taste, food inspector?"

"Go ahead, but if you don't wake up tomorrow, don't blame me," he replied absently as he chewed another piece. He bit his lip to keep from laughing as he watched Riku turn red as the girl he was currently dancing with pull him closer.

"Hey, this stuff's pretty good," Naminé said, taking another slice.

"Wipe your mouth, Nam, the juice kinda..." Roxas made a wiping motion with his hand.

"Thanks."

He fell silent. Whatever DiZ said, he knew one thing: he _liked_ Naminé. But he's a friend; friends stay out of the way of love. He shrugged at the unfairness of it all.

"Hey, want this last one?" There was only one slice of fruit left on the white plate, and he handed the plate to her.

She stared at him. "No, you take take it," she shook her head.

Now as far as Roxas knew, it was improper for guys to take something that was supposed to go to a girl, like the last piece of something. "I don't want it, Nam."

"Well, I don't want it either."

A perfectly good piece of fruit going to waste.

"Nam.."

"Go on, it's yours."

"Uh..."

"This is getting stupid," he said loudly, knowing that given the chance this pointless conversation would go on until the dance was over. "Let's just split."

"I was going to say the same thing. Great minds think alike, I guess."

"_No_, you were just copying me, admit it," he snickered as he took a knife and chopped the piece into two. They both took a piece at the same time.

"Roxas, first to finish, wins," she said mischievously as she held her fork. "One, two, _hey_!"

He had already swallowed his piece (good thing it was soft; he couldn't die of choking _that_ way.). "What? Is that a new counting system or something?" He laughed at the amused yet irritated expression on the blonde girl's face.

She ate her own slice and stuck out her tongue at him. "Meanie."

"Nice going you two," Tidus said, annoyed.

"What?"

"You ate my paopu fruit. I was gonna share one with Yuna..." he huffed at them. Naminé stared at him bemusedly. Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Ti_dus_, do you really think they'd _ever_ run out of paopu here?"

Naminé giggled. "See that guy over there? That tray he's holding...it's _loaded_ with paopu fruit."

Irritation drained out of Tidus' face, replaced by nervousness as Yuna came up to him. "Riight. Okay, you two, I forgive you. Yuna.. uhhh, come on, I want to show you something." Mood swings were a wonderful thing, Roxas thought as he watched the two disappear into the crowd.

"They're just _so_ cute, aren't they?" Naminé said dreamily, resting her chin in her hands.

"You know, cute is just another word for slightly ugly but still acceptable, Nam." he remarked as he dodged her hand. He smiled as they watched the dance floor. Roxas' brows drew together as he played with his fork.

"Ohhh... so _that's_ a paopu fruit."

Naminé stared at him. He stared back and watched her blanch.

"What?"

"Ro_xas_, I can_not_ believe this! I shared a paopu! with _you!"_ she almost screamed.

"Nam, keep it _down_, people are staring at us!"

"Why? Why you?" she continued in a whisper no less venomous than her scream. Roxas couldn't see why she was so upset; after all, the thing about the paopu was just a stupid legend. "It's just some legend, Naminé," he voiced out his thoughts.

"I've been through far too much and seen far too many things to believe _anything_ is a legend, Roxas."

"It's a _fruit_, Nam," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "And so what if we shared one? Our destinies can't get anymore tangled than they already _are_."

She seemed to take this in stride as she nodded thoughtfully. "You know, that makes sense. Okay, so the Paopu Effect is officially doesn't apply to us."

"Yeah. Stop worrying about the 'Paopu Effect'. You'll share a paopu with Riku someday," he dodged another one of Naminé's backhands (she was _strong_ for a girl of her stature) and catcalled Kairi, who grinned as she took to the stage. He stole a glance at Naminé; she could sing well only because _Kairi_ could sing, they both knew that. He couldn't see any bitterness in her expression, but Roxas knew she was (remembering!) feeling jealous inside.

"_When you walk away_

_you don't hear me say_

_please oh baby, dont go--"_

_"_C'mon, destiny, let's dance," Roxas said loudly as he pulled Naminé to the dance floor. Strangely enough, she made no protest; she only grinned back at him as she placed her hand in his.

_"Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight_

_It's hard to let go."_

----------

Naminé snapped her head up from where it had been leaning on Roxas' chest a second earlier. She felt his arms wrap around her protectively they watched Sora fall from the corner hedge. She buried her face behind his arm, clutching it tightly. She didn't want to see how Sora turned from boy to broken bones.

"Nam, he'll live, he's driven into Final Form," she heard Roxas' muffled voice. "Oh, he looks pretty mad. I _hate_ it when he rages like this..."

"What do we do?" She asked, raising her head, still not releasing her deathgrip on Roxas' arm. She had good reason to be afraid because she knew Sora _killed_ when he was _really_ mad. (Look at the slaughter in Castle Oblivion!) "Whatdowedowhatdowe_do..." _she whimpered.

Suddenly the crowd exploded into chaos as somebody screamed "_Heartless_!" She tightened her grip. If she had a heart, it would've been pounding _really_ hard right now. She opened her eyes wide as she felt a portal form around her.

"Roxas! Are you _crazy_!" she hissed, staring up at him. No wonder people would panic. Who wouldn't if a portal of darkness suddenly sprang up in front of you? "The _people_!"

"Riku's here. Sora's here. Plus me equals three Wielders. That adds up to a whole lot of _Heartless_," he breathed. "I need to get out _now_."

Crazy as it sounded, Naminé had to admit, Roxas was right. She _still_ kept a deathgrip on his arm as they stepped through the portal. She still wanted to lean on his chest, though, although she _knew_ it was Kairi's feelings for Sora.

_Naminé, stop it._

_----------_

That was the longest chapter I have ever written. When you get inspired... well, you get _inspired_. Go figure. Yeah, I'm listening to "Always on my Mind" right now. It's the music that plays when Sora and Riku close Kingdom Hearts on the opposite sides of the door. Sad... yes. Tragedy or happily ever after? Or cliffie ending? oh the possibilities... I'll try to update as soon as possible.

Read. Review. Flamers go ahead, I don't send death threats, viruses, or anything of the sort. Thanks for anything whether positive, negative, or neutral (wait... how can _that_ happen?). Go on, click the review button. And yeah, thanks for the PM's! XD


	4. An Ordinary Day

**A/N: **Hey! It's me again, updating this ficcy. Trinity has _so_ much of a gloomy mood at this point in time that I decided to make this Nobody's Perfect chapter a bit happy...and violent. Hey, Organization XIII and violence go hand in hand, right?

**Summary:** It's the little things that hurt the most. Between love and duty is a decision he will regret for the rest of his existence.

**Disclaimer:** If I wanted to I could bore the hell out of you by listing all the reasons why I should own Kingdom Hearts. There.

**IV: **A**n Or**_d_**in**_ar_**y D**a**y**

"I want to see your _hands_."

Axel rolled his eyes; Saïx was _such_ a stickler for gestures. He grudgingly held his hand out and kept himself from using it to throttle Marluxia as the latter shook hands with him. Not as if Marluxia really wanted to; the glare he shot Axel made him flinch. Badly.

"_There_, Saïx." Marluxia said loudly. "You happy now?"

"As long as I don't hear you two killing each other, fine with me," the berserker said irritably before portalling out of the corridor into the Castle's Left wing, where numbers one to seven resided.

Honestly, Axel didn't think Saïx's hearing was _that_ sharp, thank you very much. He was just getting started on his Kill-Flower-Boy campaign when a very annoyed Number Seven forced them apart. Well, true to his reputation as Xemnas' little tattletale, he threatened to tell the Superior about their supposed _disobedience_ of the truce the whole Organization agreed on. Forget Castle Oblivion; the simple statement that comprised a very, _very_ controversial rule for living (yeah, as if Nobodies really _lived_) in the Castle That Never Was.

"Stupid, stupid truce," he could hear the once-lord of Castle Oblivion mutter as he portalled to somewhere Axel didn't care to know, the singe on the back hem of his coat obvious and _glaring_. He grinned; a very well timed Firaga was sometimes your best friend. And those sakura petals caught fire _really_ easily. Grinning even more widely he walked down the hall, wondering what else he could do here.

The door nearest to his left burst open and he was confronted by a vision of yellow. He could hear lightning crackle as a seething Number Twelve stormed out of her room..

_Good. Larxene's back._

"You!" she snarled, throwing a kunai in his direction (which he dodged; teasing Larxene required perfect reflexes). "Out of my frickin' way!"

"What's the hurry, _Larx_? (This time he dodged a Thundaga, the spell searing the floor where he had been standing seconds ago)" he snickered, standing in the middle of the corridor and effectively blocking her path.

"Some wise guy thought it would've been _funny_ to steal my stuff," she hissed, showering him with kunais as she attempted to get past him. "That _idiot_ Demyx chose the _wrong_ person to annoy, I swear, he's _dead_!"

Axel forced down the smile that was threatening to work itself into his face. He knew what she was so angry about. What? He had just..._borrowed_ her Marquis de Sade novel for a bit of...light reading. (So _fine_, he wanted to give her a dose of her own medicine when it came to _pain_).

"You look like you've got a dirty little secret, Axel. Wha---" The look on Larxene's face was _priceless_ when she realized who the culprit was. "_You_!"

He tried to look innocent but miserably failed. A grin spread across his face _again_ as he summoned both his chakrams, spinning them in his fingers. "_Larxy Larxy she's gonna kill me..." _he half-sang out, dodging a _blizzard_ of kunais (really, how many of those things has she got up her sleeve?) that was aimed at his head. The kunais hit the wall behind him instead, the golden blades lodging themselves into the marble walls. _Yes_, Larxene was _that_ strong.

"My _book_!" She screeched as she dodged the chakram he threw (_darn_ missed her!) and counterattacked with no less than a dozen kunais.

"Who cares about some stupid _book_, Larx?"

"You are a _dead_ Nobody, Axel."

He rolled his eyes. How could he be dead if he wasn't even _living_?

"That's the stupidest threat I've ever heard!" he laughed as the encounter turned into a full-fledged battle between fire and lightning.

----------

Roxas collapsed on his white bed, throwing his book bag into the other side of his room. He watched it hit the wall and slide down the wall with a loud thump. _Man_, Destiny Academy was working him _hard_.

He stared at the white (Nobody-symbol-engraved) ceiling, thinking about the girl he had just laughed with before portalling back to the World That Never Was. Kairi Dalmasca _was_ a fun girl to be with. There was something about her that drew him.

_Sora's feelings for Kairi. Not his._

And _there_ was Sora. He had never seen such a drastic mood swing in his entire existence. The morning after the dance, where he saw with his own two eyes Sora in a _very_ distraught situation, the Wielder had returned to his normal goofy self. There was no indication of whatever had transpired on the eve of his return to Destiny Islands. The only noticeable difference was Kairi was studiously ignoring him. Roxas had talked to Riku about the _psychotic (_no-one changes emotions _that_ fast; at least, no-one normal) Keyblade Master; however, the platinum-haired boy only shrugged and explained that the brunette _rarely_ talked whenever they were home. _That_ was a huge change, Sora always liked to have his presence felt in the loudest way humanly possible.

He _did_ take Roxas aside and asked him how Organization XIII was doing, and whether they had plans to kill him the moment he set foot inside the Castle's gleaming white halls. Of course, he couldn't _guarantee_ that he'd stay alive if the others caught as so much as the sight of his yellow-sneakered foot. Sora just shrugged and said that he was _happy_ that they were alright.

Would _you_ be happy if your would-be murderers were all good and fine?

Strange, how Sora's heart worked. _Wait_, he didn't even _know_ how Sora's heart worked, in spite of sharing it with him for a little over a year.

He snapped out of his thoughts when a very loud, very violent _something_ crashed inside the room beside his.

_Oh boy. Axel and Larx are at it _again.

He was glad he had never been chosen for this Castle Oblivion thing; from what he had heard, most of his fellow Nobodies had a very..._bitter_ working relationship. Of course it could be seen everytime Marluxia, Larxene and Axel saw each other. As far as he knew Vexen was involved in it too, he just declared that the fighting was just too 'childish' for him to take part in. For all he knew Vexen was just _scared_ of fighting.

It kind of sounded like the walls were actually _cracking_ from whatever the two were doing. Didn't they take Xemnas' truce _seriously_?

_Who does?._ Organization XIII was actually even _more_ violent than this since time immemorial. Roxas found himself on the _sharp_ end of the weapons most of the Org more than once (one dozen times, more like), most probably because of the pranks he and Axel would usually pull. Xemnas' hair gel was just _classic_ (and Marluxia's flowers came a close second---Demyx always took care of messing up Vexen's potions), he and the pyromaniac liked to pull that one at least twice every week.

_What the hell...?_ It _really_ sounded like the two were killing each other in the most violent way they could. Which was the usual order of things around here. Irritate the wrong Number and you could end up in the infirmary for the rest of your existence (or scrubbing Castle toilets, if you annoyed Xemnas enough). There was only one member he still hadn't gotten on the wrong side: Zexion. Well, that was understandable, Zexion wasn't exactly _famous_ for his emotions.

He could hear a very mad Larxene's muffled exclamations (good thing they were muffled; some of the things she was screaming was almost too insulting to think about) through the wall separating his and hers' living quarters.

_Screw the stupid truce_.

He grinned as he summoned his dual Keyblades. Training was always good for you. Especially if your housemates are heartless, frustrated beings. Roxas tightened his grip on the Oathkeeper and Oblivion as he portalled out to join the _fun_.

----------

Zexion looked up from his Sudoku puzzle and sighed, setting down his pencil (chewed at one end because of one _impossible_ box). Such chaos (plaster floated down from the now-shaking ceiling) was commonplace once, but now... after almost two years of silence it was _distracting._

He looked around the library and watched random books fall out of their shelves. Sometimes the Castle was more like a mental asylum than a _haven_ for Nobodies like him.

His favorite room in the Castle was the Castle Library and Archives, during times which Larxene was either absorbed in reading or when she wasn't in a violent streak. Actually he preferred _anywhere_ that silence reigned, because he _always_ worked better in silence, or more accurately, in _hidden_ silence. That's why he's termed the Cloaked Schemer, right?

He ran a hand through his bangs that covered half of his face, trying to ignore the scent of Axel and Larxene coming from the floor above. Now that he thought about it, number Thirteen had just portalled in between the two. _What_ was up with those people? Castle Oblivion was now just a memory. Well, for him, a very unpleasant one, though he did his best to conceal said fact.

He _always_ concealed what he felt. Thus Demyx's label 'The Emo Kid'. An ironic label. He was _stuck_ with twelve other heartless beings in this excuse for a Castle. Of course you had to protect yourself. And so that's how Zexion came up with the _emotionless_ image.

Although there were times that he'd gladly some fellow members. He watched tiny little pieces of cement land on his puzzles, knowing that his hair was most likely speckled with plaster right now.

_Huh?_

He noticed a pile of neatly folded clothing nearly buried under a slew of hardbound books (_Hearts and the Heartless_ _4th_ _Edition_). His brows drew together, trying to remember _why_ the heck it was there.

Oh, yeah. Naminé had tried to cram the whole night earlier for some examination she had to take (her voice _still_ rang in his ears for hours after she had left), and she had seriously _failed_, screaming at Zexion for not waking her up when she had dozed off behind the piles of books on the table. He had just shrugged at her and went back to the white pieces of paper in front of him.

A very loud crash sounded from above and the mythril crystal chandelier jolted dangerously above his head.

He glanced at the folded clothes. The pillars behind him was slowly being populated by hairline cracks. He gathered the girl's clothes up and portalled out, keeping the pencil and the Sudoku puzzle firmly clamped in his mouth.

----------

A shudder rocked the walls of the Hall of Empty Melodies, causing Xigbar to jerk back and miss his favorite target. Demyx whooped with glee as he rose from his crouching position and removed his hands covering his head. The boy retaliated with a deluge of ice-cold water that drenched him, in spite of his black coat. He's gonna _kill_ the Nobody who told him this was _waterproof_.

Xigbar swore loudly as_ another _crash broke his concentration, making the bullet that was aimed for Demyx's _head_ swerve right to the gargoyle statue behind him. A water form then crashes its sitar over his head. He winced (no matter how Demyx tried to tell him it was just _water_, it still hurt) and fired off another round, none of which hit the intended stupid _target_.

"_AXEL! LARXENE!_" he bellowed as he portalled out, leaving a very happy (water-soaked but not so much bullet-riddled) Demyx behind him.

----------

Vexen's brows were knitted in concentration. This potion _required _concentration. Not because the Castle would go up in flames if he mixed this one wrong (that _other_ one did that, the one that almost found its way into Roxas' hands), but because of the fact that Xemnas was almost breathing down his neck as he watched him.

"Superior, I would advise you to stay back a bit, the potion's a very corrosive one." Not that it wasn't true (it was _acid_), but he didn't like those orange eyes trained so much on him. Those eyes sometimes glowed with a manic...he didn't _know_.

"Oh. Sorry, Vex--"

_Crash_.

A sudden explosion startled him, making him drop the test tube he was holding onto the gleaming (everything here _gleamed_) white laboratory table. The glass shattered, and the potion's contents scattered along with it. His eyes widened as _most_, if not all of the acid found its way onto the Superior's black coat, which had now started to hiss and burn.

"Eight and twelve." Xemnas said quietly. Whenever he said something without the melodramatic effect, it meant only one thing.

_Superior's pissed off. VERY pissed off._

"Continue with the experiment," he said before vanishing into strands of darkness, his tone of voice ominous. Vexen shrugged. There have been incidents like this even before the...event at Castle Oblivion. _Those_ incidents were much more violent, particularly the one involving Xemnas' hair gel. He highly doubted the Superior would actually kick someone out. But then again (Axel's face flashed in his mind), hoping couldn't hurt, right?

He hummed as he cleaned up the shards of glass, carefully stepping over the places where the acid had eaten away holes in the floor.

----------

Naminé bit (more like chewed) her fingernails nervously as she sat on the bleachers, watching other auditionees strut their stuff. _Why_ did she accept the invitation for tryouts? She had _no_ aptitude for dancing (none that she knew of, she never _had_ danced before), and found absolutely _no_ point in shouting out cheers for people who couldn't actually hear them (blitz players play _underwater_). Well, some of them _could_, but in a very muffled sort of way, Riku told her. Well, he _was_ a varsity player.

She smiled at the memory. Riku had actually _walked_ her here to the gym hall, giving her advice on staying alive in the cheerleading circle of _rabid_ girls (and from the way they reacted when they saw her and Riku walk through the double doors together, they acted _like_ rabid girls, even if for just three seconds.) She could _swear_ something _bad_ had happened between him and Kairi, but she didn't really care, as long as Riku continued to...well...be with her. She quickly buried her face in her hands, trying to hide the blush in her cheeks, giggling.

"Laughing for no apparent reason? You're turning into one of us."

Her eyes widened at the familiar voice and she looked over her shoulder. Zexion's one eye was crinkled with amusement as he stared at her. _Wait_. Zexion was actually _happy_?

_WAIT. HOW DID HE GET IN HERE?_

"Zex_ion_ did you just portal in here!" she hissed, jumping down from where she was sitting. The blue-haired Nobody nodded his head. "Are you _insane_ (he probably was)! Somebody could've _seen_ you?"

"Well, _nobody_ did," he snickered in reply. Naminé rolled her eyes before she could stop herself.

"Did you just make a joke?"

"Naminé, Naminé, I _never_ joke about things," he sniggered. She stared at him.

"Are _you_ losing _your_ emotionless streak?"

"Maybe." He held out a paper bag. "Your gym clothes."

She gasped, she had _forgotten_ about her clothes in the frantic whirlwind of studying in World's History she had done in the library last night. She'd _never_ cram again, because she had almost _failed_ the exam.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank---"

"Naminé! Who's _this_?" the head cheerleader asked, giving Zexion the once over. Naminé was silently thanking the fact that Zexion had not worn his Organization XIII coat, if he did, someone would start asking _very_ awkward questions. Memory witch that she was, she _couldn't _ tamper with someone who wasn't _that_ close to Sora.

"Zexion." number Six said, crossing his arms.

More and more girls started coming around, in the usual fangirl way Naminé noticed them act around boys of a certain..._caliber_. She snickered at the darkening look in Zexion's face.

"Soo..Zexion...tell us more about yourself," one of them _purred_. The Nobody's mouth twitched.

"Yeah...you studying here in the Acad of Destiny...?"

Her breath froze in her throat as she saw Kairi run up to them. She _knew_ Kairi had been imprisoned in the Castle That Never Was, and in all likelihood, she _might_ recognize Zexion from his portrait hanging in the Corridors where Saïx had most likely passed through with her. Zexion must've thought the same thing and tried to wave the girls off, trying to make a hasty exit.

"Hey Nam," For one endless moment of insanity, time stopped as the princess of light stared at the Cloaked Schemer, her violet eyes widening.

----------

"_No way in hell!"_ Roxas yelled, dodge-rolling the Thunder spell Larxene sent on his way and using the Oblivion to block a follow-up kunai.

"_Firaga_!"

"_Reflect!"_ The Savage Nymph defended, the hexagonal blocks of light blocking the Fire spell. "No _fair_! Roxas! Whose side are you _on_!"

He reversed around her and tried to sweep her off her feet, but she quick-ran to the left and sent a lightning bolt at Axel, breaking his concentration for another Fire spell. The pyro threw his chakram at her; she quick-ran _again_ and sent a kunai flying at Axel's spine.

"_Reflect!" _The Key of Destiny cast on his best friend, making the knife bounce harmlessly off. Axel huffed a very muffled "thanks" before getting tackled to the ground by Larxene.

"_Larx! Geroff me!"_

"Shut _it, Axel!_"

Roxas rolled his eyes as he stopped to watch the two roll on the ground. No matter how hard they tried to show it, he _knew_ they would never bear to kill each other, because they actually _needed_ the other's violence to balance his and her violence out. _Huh?_ There he went again, saying something even _he_ couldn't understand.

"_Axel! _Leave Larx alone already!" he said tiredly.

"_What!_ You're on _my_ side, Rox!" he yelled out, trying to keep Larxene's outstretched hand from plunging a kunai to his chest.

"The _damage_," he said pointedly, poking a piece of what was a bookshelf a few minutes ago.

Almost half of the Right Wing had completely been decimated, walls and doors and assorted _other_ things crumbled into rubble by an assortment of kunais, chakrams, Keyblades, and very _violent_ elemental spells. Both his, Naminé's and Larxene's rooms had degenerated into piles of broken marble, some of which were still smoking, others which were still crackling with electricity. Plaster still floated down the hallway, creating a misty atmosphere of sorts.

"Oh. My. _Frickin' hell_." Larxene looked up, staring at what they have done to the hallways. Axel took this moment of opportunity to take control and pin Larxene under his hands.

"Never _ever_ lose sight of your opponent. Got it memorized?" he snickered as he resummoned his fire wheels.

"If I'd memorized all the things you've said to get _memorized_, my head would ex_plode_!" The blonde screamed, struggling to get out of his grasp, her booted feet scrabbling on the marble (now littered with anger-induced rubble) floor.

"Oh _c'mon_ you two, stop fighting for a while until at least we figure out how to clean this mess," Roxas said loudly, trying to clean the plaster off his right foor. "_Guys?"_

He snickered at the sight of the Savage Nymph pinned under the Flurry of Dancing Flames, struggling violently as Axel threatened to behead her with a rapidly spinning Chakram-of-Death (another one of Demyx's labels, which _always_ ended with the words of Death).

A portal coalesced in the middle of the ruined corridor, revealing a _very_ mad Xigbar.

"_NOBODY MOVE!"_ (and at this point Roxas bit his lip too keep from laughing; the pun was just too _much_) the eye-patched, black-coated, and _drenched_ number Two roared, directing both guns at each of them. Axel stopped trying to kill Larxene, but _still _held her under (and he has a sneaking suspicion that he was actually _enjoying_ that).

"Yeah, right," Larxene said sarcastically, relaxing in Axel's grasp as she rolled her eyes at Xigbar. "As if I can _move._"

"You _three_ are in _big_ trouble," he said roughly as he walked up to them slowly. "Why, I ought to---"

He never had the chance to finish his sentence as a very large, very _solid_ claymore knocked him out. A _very_ berserk Saïx was wielding said claymore. Roxas could swear he saw steam come out of his ears.

"AXEL!"

The pyro winced at the roar; Larxene _giggled_. Probably because she knew Saïx might just kill Axel for her.

"_I-told you to keep the TRUCE!" _he yelled, swinging his claymore over his head.

"You did, but not with _her!_" Axel howled, trying to dodge the claymore and hold Larxene hostage at the same time.

"Enough of _this_."

They all fell silent as Xemnas' _dangerously_ quiet voice spoke. The Superior stood in front of them, freshly portalled from what Roxas supposed was Vexen's laboratory, judging from the still-smoking acid holes charred on the front of his coat.

"All of you, to the meeting room. _Now._" he glowered at them. Axel finally let Larxene get up but _still _kept her hands together as they both portalled out, but not before Roxas shot the both of them a glare.

If Xemnas had his way, the three of them would probably be scrubbing toilets for the rest of their existence. _That_, added to what Naminé's reaction would be if she found her white room in white _pieces._ He shivered involuntarily at the thought.

_Oh joy_, he thought, borrowing one of his Other's catchphrases, as he opened the Corridors to the meeting area.

----------

So, what do you think? Is violence _really_ the answer to the questions of life?

Read.

Review.

Flamers, go ahead. I accept whatever consequence of my writing this fanfiction (oooh.. so _wordy_).

Poll! Tell me whether you like a _tragedy_ or a _happy ending _for the joint conclusion of You Don't Miss It 'Till It's Gone, so that I can start picturing the story flow. Yeah, Chapter 10 of Trinity will be up most likely tomorrow morning.


	5. I'm Just a Shadow

**A/N: **Chapter 5 here. I think I'll make Nobody's Perfect a bit more...happy and un-serious, because Trinity has such a gloomy mood right now. And _when_ Trinity turns happy, I'll make this companion fic serious. Oh, my logic, it's kinda mixed up...

**Summary:** They think and feel as they can only remember. Does he really love her, or is it only because _he_ loves _her_? How much of one's emotions can be borrowed?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts owns itself. Stop asking already, I've been saying the same thing for four chapters now.

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**V: **I**'m J**_us_**t a Sha**_dow_

----------

"Hey Nam," Kairi stopped short as she caught sight of Zexion.

Naminé stood still, her knuckles white from clasping her hands too hard. She _was_ praying fervently that Kairi would not recognize him, and miraculously, Zexion seemed to be praying for the same thing. The princess came up to the Cloaked Schemer and peered up at him.

"_Darn_ you're cute."

They burst out laughing. Naminé felt like dancing with glee; _that_ was another disaster averted. If Kairi found out her once-kidnappers were brought back from the darkness by Sora, most likely she'd kill Naminé and Roxas first for not telling her. She didn't even _know_ Roxas was number Thirteen of the Organization. Well, okay, at first she knew, but Naminé had been chaining that conversation the day _after_ it had happened; she realized the possibilities if Kairi _discovered_ Organization XIII existed. Now, Kairi knew, or at least _thought_ she knew, nothing about Castle Oblivion and Twilight Town... and some events she didn't need to know. Kairi just _knew_ that she and Roxas were hers and Sora's nobodies, and that they were _used_ by the Order.

_That_ took a lot of chaining down.

"Do you people _always_ do this?" Zexion asked dryly. (dryly? she thought. He's on a non-emotionless streak! He really _is_!)

"Yes, to the cute guys..." The raven-haired Garnet giggled and turned to Naminé. "So... you know Zexy?"

A muscle in Zexion's eyelid twitched.

Naminé bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Zexion's... uh...he's..." her mirth faded quickly. She couldn't tell these people that Zexion was someone who was..._hey_, he wasn't even _someone_! He's a _Nobody!_ The girls turned to face her expectantly.

"She's my neighbor," he cut in.

Her mouth dropped open and quickly followed the thread Zexion had created. "Y-yeah, in Twilight Town." Well, _technically_ it was true, the gate to the World That Never Was was hidden somewhere in the Old Mansion in Twilight Town.

Kairi stared at her with a million questions reflected in her eyes, then suddenly shook her head vehemently as if trying to get rid of something.

"Roxas sent me here just to give you your gym clothes," he continued in a bored voice. "He says that you shouldn't forget things like that because sometimes there's _nobody_ to go and bring things you forget."

At the mention of Roxas' name all those crowded around Zexion turned to face her _again_.

"Why didn't he go himself?" Kairi asked aloud. "I mean, we were just hanging around the swings earlier, he could've just por---I mean, gone home and given it to you himself." Her eyes went wide, she had almost said 'portalled' in front of them.

_That_ was a stray memory. Naminé discreetly tapped Kairi on the shoulder and chained said memory down.

"Roxas is..._fighting_ with Larxene and his best friend again..." he caught Naminé's eye, making sure she got the message.

_I only brought you your things because right now Axel, Larxene and Roxas are demolishing the Castle to the best of their abilities._

"Again?" Naminé said nonchalantly. "Well, Zex-_ion _(she almost called him _Zex_ and decided against it, knowing that if she did, he'd never forgive her), thanks for giving me my things, anyway."

----------

"_Noooooo!"_

Saïx turned over, stuffing the pillow over his head. What did it _take_ to get some sleep around here? All he wanted was some peace and quiet, but he had started to realize that that simple dream was _impossible_ to achieve here in the Castle That Never Was. Maybe he should consider stealing Vexen's earmuffs.

----------

"But...but that's already _cruel_ and _unusual _punishment!"

"Naminé, do _not_ get me started on cruel and unusual punishment," Xemnas said in his most dangerous (yes, he seemed to be needing to do that a lot lately) voice as he stared down at the blonde girl wringing her hands in front of him.

"Xem_nas_..."

Roxas' eyebrow twitched. He had _not_ expected Naminé to come running and complain (violently, he might add) to the Superior after he had told her what had been..._decided_ of her, Larxene's and Roxas' rooms, after having been quite thoroughly demolished a few days ago.

"You can't do _this_!" Naminé threw her hands up in frustration. "There's like a _million_ other rooms here in the Castle! Why do I have to share a single room with _Roxas_?"

"What's so wrong with me!" he said loudly, staring Naminé in the eye.

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, Roxas."

"There are many rooms here in the Castle, yes," the Superior looked as if he was considering the thought, "_but_ I want to teach you to be able to even _be _near each other without whipping out some random weapons."

"But _I_ don't get the urge to kill Roxas everytime I'm near him! My room was just a victim here! I'm a victim here!"

Roxas exchanged glances with Axel, who was leaning on the wall beside him. The pyro shrugged; after the lecture Xemnas subjected them to, nothing could _ever_ faze them now (except maybe hearing Luxord sing christmas carols at the top of his slurred voice whenever he got _too _drunk on his secret whiskey stash).

"Naminé, if you wish to _exist_ (Roxas thought he was going to say 'live', but the Superior, being the _Superior_, never made such mistakes as that) here in the Castle with Organization XIII, you _must _learn to abide by the Organization's rules."

"But I'm a _girl_!" she half-yelled.

"And so?" Number One (to Xigbar, _Numbuh _One) raised a silver eyebrow. "I don't hear Larxene complaining."

Naminé made a spluttering noise as she turned to face Axel.

"Yeah, she ain't complaining," Number Eight said in his best offhand voice, but Roxas knew otherwise. Larxene, upon hearing what Xemnas had to say about her and Axel's attempts to kill each other, had destroyed at least half of the meeting room chairs and stormed off. The first time Axel had walked into their room she had, _again_, tried to strangle him. Lately she had been more..._peaceful_, only muttering murderous statements whenever she saw Axel. Or Xemnas, for that matter.

"Why can't I share a room with _Larxene_!" Naminé whined again.

"She and Axel must learn _self-control_," the Superior looked over his shoulder. "Oh, it's done defragmenting already," he said, referring to the computer they had cannibalized (no, no, just borrowed, as Xemnas had eloquently said) from the Mansion's basement, since Ansem the Wise (_not_ so wise), its previous owner, would most probably _never_ use it again.

"_Don't_ turn your back on me---"

"Naminé, Naminé , what are you so afraid of?" he said condescendingly. "Number Thirteen here might have a bit of a ...past, but he, as far as I know, does not..._take advantage_ of such situations." (And _this_ was the cue for said number to blush not only pink, but an assorted medley of the thousand different shades of scarlet.)

Naminé sighed. "Come _on, _guys, back me up!" she clasped her hands together as she looked at them pleadingly.

He didn't exactly jump for joy when the Superior announced that he and Naminé would be sharing a room together in the aftemath of the _epic_ battle fought, but hey! It was infinitely better than having to scrub the Castle toilets. So he kept his mouth shut, avoiding Naminé's pleading gaze. Axel seemed to have the same thoughts, as he kept his mouth shut too, exchanging another glance with him.

"_Fine_." she huffed. "I suppose since it's only temporary, it'll do."

"I am... Well, it is good that you have finally come to see that this will..." the corner of Xemnas' mouth twitched into what would invariably be a smile, "_add_ to your experiences of existing as a Nobody." And with said statement he closed the door in Naminé's pouting face.

"_Well_."

"Well what?" Roxas asked nervously, not liking Naminé's tone of voice.

"Oh _c'mon_ Naminé, what's so wrong sharing a bedroom with my best mate Rox here?" Axel said loudly.

"Nothin'." She turned her steely gaze on the pyro. Axel almost (as said earlier, _nothing_ could faze him ever) quailed under her stare, but he defiantly met her gaze.

"What do you want?" he asked, standing up straight.

"Nothing, nothing, I was just thinking..." she shook her head vehemently, but that wasn't enough to conceal the grin spreading across her face. "Why didn't you complain when Larxene moved in into your room, huh?"

"It's better than scrubbing toilets," he replied with a bewildered look on his face. Roxas nodded in agreement; _something_ was forming in Naminé's mind, and he was sure it wasn't a plan to bake him and Axel cookies for not backing her up.

"Oh really..." she said slyly, turning her back on them. "Roxas, I'm okay with you...(he blushed _again_) Axel...I'm gonna tell Larxene you like her."

"But I _don_'_t!_" It was Axel's turn to splutter.

"Oh, she doesn't know that." she shrugged, her blonde hair waving from side to side. "Who's she gonna believe, the guy who killed her, or the poor little defenseless girl who got caught in all of this?"

"Naminé, I can't even _feel_!"

"You _remember_ how to feel, Axy," she giggled, opening a portal in front of her. "Of course, I can..._forget _to tell her...for the right price."

Roxas stuffed a fist in his mouth to stop himself from laughing, the look on his best friend's (they _were_ back to being best friends again, after he had explained what Naminé had told _him_ what DiZ had said) face an unexplainable combination of disbelief, amusement, anger, and a lot of the color red.

"Why you little _witch_!" he made to strangle her, but Naminé had ducked into the portal in time to escape his outstretched hands.

"That would be _insulting_ if it wasn't _true_, Axel," Naminé laughed before her portal dissipated into strands of darkness.

Roxas couldn't resist. He turned to face Axel. "Hey, why's your face all _red_ if it's not true?"

"You _too_?" he said, stricken by the betrayal of his best friend. " I do _not_ like her, thank you very much."

"I was just asking why your face was red, not if you liked her or not."

"Shut it, Roxie."

He _had_ considered shutting up, in fear of the murderous look on Axel's face. But what the heck. As long as Axel didn't kill him...

"Oh, you _do_ like Larxene, don'tcha?"

"You're lucky you're my best friend, or I would've beaten you to a bloody pulp."

"But you _do_ like Larx?"

"Ro_xas_..."

"I'm not gonna stop until you tell me!"

"Pshaw, I---"

----------

It was an just an ordinary day for the girl named Fallah, operator extraordinaire. Her shift had just started, and the calls that she recieved were either from nice old ladies who were asking for their grandson's Gummi Ship schedule or from hopeless-sounding teenagers who were hopelessly lost somewhere in Twilight Town because they had taken the wrong Transit. Yes. She stretched her arms and yawned. This was another day for Fallah. All her other days were just the same: take calls, direct people...

Well, except for _that_ one call half a year ago. She had sat, bewildered in her swiveling (technically it didn't swivel, it just gave a feeble attempt at swiveling before the wad of chewing gum under stopped it) gray chair for about thirty minutes, because she had just connected a call to Disney Castle.

Telephone calls weren't _supposed_ to get through to Disney Castle.

Although the caller merited the purpose. It was the Wielder of Light, Sora Hikari, the guy who they gossiped about during their lunch breaks. He wanted to get patched through to the King himself. At first she thought it was a prank, but when he started to threaten her with Keyblades and disappearing stars,she concluded that _yes_, this was the Wielder, and _yes_, he was pissed off like hell.

Exactly thirteen hours (she shivered; thirteen was _not_ a good number for her) had passed when she had been called to an audience with His Majesty. Fallah had been a nervous wreck; her colleagues' reassurances that the King didn't usually grant audiences to people who were supposed to be executed or (as one helpful operator pointed out) doomed into eternal imprisonment didn't do much to lift her spirits.

She had walked into the large, _imposing_ Audience Hall (the whiteness of it all nauseating) and straight to the throne way back, where King Mickey himself sat, his huge round ears (don't say she said that) twitching, a worried expression etched on his face. She thought she would throw up in nervousness.

Ten minutes later she walked out of the Audience Hall, her heart still pounding, but her relief was beyond words. All the King wanted was for her to shut up about the call (though that wasn't the King's exact words, the thought was still there). If she _did_ talk about the incident, well, the King had left her to her imagination for what _he_ would subject her to.

She had since pushed the memory to the back of her mind. It wouldn't happen again, she said to herself. It just _won't_.

The screen in front of her beeped loudly, signalling there was an incoming call. She peered at the screen; it was from an unknown number somewhere _behind_ Twilight Town. This was a _world_ that technically didn't exist. Her heart did a backflip.

But she was _Fallah_, operator extraordinaire. She wasn't fazed by calls like this.

"Good afternoon, this is operator Fallah, how may I be of assistance?" she said in that automated voice operators always use.

There was a faint 'dude! It's afternoon _already_!' before a deep voice spoke. "Yes, Fallah, was it? I wish to speak to the King."

Her heart did a backflip and ten cartwheels as she heard the man's statement. Suddenly the situation seemed very familiar. She cleared her throat and hoped that her voice didn't sound shaky.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the Gummi Network does not accept calls for Disney Castle."

"Hold on," the man said. A faint conversation (more like an argument) ensued.

_"See? Toldja Superior-dude, we should've gone there straightaway and surprise the little mouse." _(at this point Fallah had a horrifying thought: What if these guys were _terrorists_ or something of that sort?)

_"No. We can not just portal in, or we shall be forced to kill all the guards that in all likelihood the Palace defenses would send."_

_"It's training!"_

_"No it is _not_. We merely want the King to be...aware that we are here, although he might already know..."_

_"I still say we bust into the Castle and surprise him!"_

The reciever picked up again. "Fallah. Do you accept messages for Disney Castle?"

"I'm sorry sir, but---wait. Yes, we do." She had changed her mind at the last second, partly because of the vision of all the Palace Guards _dead_ by the hands of these---these psychos, and partly because of the 'surprise 'im' chant heard in the background.

"You must make sure this message arrives, and that only the King hears it."

"Y-yes sir."

"Tell him Organization XIII sends their... (the caller made a derisive sound) _dearest_ greetings."

----------

_"It's only a month."_

_"But to me, it's a year..."_

_"You know, whenever I'm around you, things don't seem so angsty anymore..."_

Naminé snapped her eyes open as she felt Riku shiver. She had been dreaming again of some forgotten memory that had been chained in her mind by who-knows-who. _Wait_. She _had_ fallen asleep on Riku, and Riku hadn't pushed her away.

"Riku?" she ventured, trying not to blush. "Is something wrong?"

She and the platinum-haired Keyblade Master had been hanging out Twilight Town's Clocktower ledge the whole afternoon, talking about everything under the sun. She remembered feeling sleepy, but she did _not_ remember falling asleep on Riku's shoulder.

"N-no, nothing," he shook his head.

Naminé didn't believe it, She had far too long observed other's emotions to know if something was bothering somebody (or a Nobody, although Nobodies tended to show what they were _un_feeling in more... non verbal ways. Look at Axel and Larxene.). "Yeah, something's up with you. Spit it out."

He stared into her eyes, making her blush. Those aqua eyes were like _pools_ of water that mesmerized her.

"Naminé?" Even the way he _said_ her name always made her blush.

"Yes?"

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

Her brain couldn't quite process his question.

_Did he... did he just ask if I would be his... _girlfriend?

_Silly. Of course he did_, that little voice in the back of her head said and went into a fit of high-pitched giggles.

She _couldn't_ feel, no she couldn't, but this _exactly_ felt like the time Sora kissed Kairi on the docks. Well, remembering feeling was better than not remembering anything at all. She was _ecstatic_. Screw un-feeling (Demyx coined the term, remembering feeling was too long of a phrase to say).

"Nam?" Riku's voice broke through her thoughts.

She smiled mischieviously. She wanted to know whether this was _real_. "Say it again."

He raised a silver well-defined eyebrow (or at least she supposed so, his eyebrows _were _hidden behind his _long_ bangs) "Would you be my girlfriend?"

"Say it five times over." She didn't think Riku would comply, but...

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

"Would you be m---" She couldn't stop herself. She twined her arms around his neck and kissed him, stopping him from finishing the question. It was a kiss that felt...different from the way Sora kissed Kairi, and vice versa. It was a _kiss_. That was enough.

"Is that answer enough?" She giggled, a light red settling across her cheeks, the amusement in Riku's eyes evident. But she saw something else...

A thought suddenly occured to her. It was ingrained in a Nobody to feel paranoid about relationships, especially when said relationship involved a living Other. And said involved Other had a past with Riku. She _should_ be feeling happy just because Riku had asked _her_, not Kairi if she wanted to be his girl. But what if he only wanted her because she was so much like her _OtherI?_

"But---" she looked into his eyes, and saw the dread in them. He _knew_ she was going to ask this question. If she had a heart, it would've settled somewhere in her stomach. "What about my Other?"

"Kairi?" he said in what obviously was what he thought was an offhand voice. "She's a friend. Nothing more."

She wanted to burst into tears and shake Riku roughly. "Then why is your voice shaking?"

He bit his lip, confirming her suspicions that _yes_, he still liked Kairi, whatever he said.

"Naminé, forget about Kairi, it's _you_ I like, not her."

"Is it because I'm _me_, or is it because I'm her _shadow?_" she half-yelled. _Now_ she knew how Roxas must've felt when DiZ led him to Sora. Riku fell silent.

"She's not letting you go, isn't she! She's _not_ letting you get over her! You _still_ love her, don't you!"

"That's why I wan't to be with you---" he trailed off, apparently realizing how that statement sounded like to her. She started breathing _really_ hard.

"_That's_ why you want to be with me! So that I can be a _replacement_ for Kairi?"

"It's not what I said! Naminé! Calm down!"

And yet Naminé knew that it _was_ what he meant to say. How could a princess of light do _this_? She thought Somebodies like _her_ were supposed to have absolutely no _darkness_ in their hearts! And if this wasn't called darkness, then what in hell was it! She couldn't stop the tears that were coming. She was actually _crying_ even if she couldn't damn _feel_!

"She _already_ has Sora, why does she have to have you too! Why does everything I do have to be a _shadow_ of what she does! I _love_ you, Riku! Me! Naminé!"

"But I never said--"

Something inside Naminé snapped. She wondered by what feat Roxas could've stood _feeling_ like a shadow all the time. She was going to settle this, once and for all. "I've had enough."

The dread in Riku's eyes were now replaced by fear.

"I've had _enough_." Chest heaving, mind working furiously, she portalled to the one place she knew she would find Kairi, leaving someone who _should've _ been her boyfriend if Kairi hadn't interfered.

_But then again, you wouldn't be born if it weren't for Kairi_, the voice in her head said quietly.

She stepped out of the Corridors into the islet that kept Destiny Island's Keyhole, behind the paopu tree that has haunted hers and Roxas' dreams, behind the princess of light sitting on it as she stared into the sunset.

She thought she could hear Riku calling out her name.

----------

If you want to know _why_ exactly Naminé heard Riku call her name, read the last part of Trinity chapter 11. Now _everyone's _feeling sad, gloomy, and mad at their nonexistence. And _yes_, Larxene's rooming with Axel.

Somebody (or Nobody) is gonna can it in this fic. Don't ask me who, just read my fic 'til the end.

Read. Review. Flamers are welcome.


	6. Once, Twice, Thrice

**A/N:** I've decided on how to make this a standalone fic. Every scene where there's both a Nobody and a Somebody I'll tell from both sides; Nobodies this fic, Somebodies in Trinity. Well, sometimes it might get confusing, but what the hell. Here's the story so far in a nutshell: Sora, Key to Kingdom Hearts, releases Organization XIII from wherever they go when they fade. Roxas and Naminé find out _exactly_ how it feels to be Nobodies in the middle of a crowd of Somebodies. Xemnas _tries_ to keep his Order from killing each other (take note of the word _try!_). Aaand... ah. Axel and Larxene are currently sharing a room, much to a particular Berserker's disdain, who's now trying to get Vexen to lend him his pink, fluffy earmuffs (that are, by the way, originally Marluxia's).

Enough ranting. On with it.

**Disclaimer: **Oh, aren't you tired of me saying that Kingdom Hearts ain't mine?

**VI: Once, **Twice_Thrice_

"_You_," she couldn't stop herself from hissing at Kairi, her hands itching to place themselves around the redhead's neck. _Yes_, when Nobodies get mad, they were _violent_. Partly because they shouldn't be feeling mad in the first place simply because they couldn't _feel. _She watched Kairi leap off gracefully the paopu tree she was sitting on a second ago and land on the sand. (If it was a gymnastics routine she'd clap her hands, but right now she'd rather do something she'd not rather say aloud.) She slowly backed into the wooden door that opened into the main beach.

"Naminé, what...?"

"Why? _Why does he still love you!_" she screamed furiously, hardly able to breathe. Kairi had fallen silent, her purple eyes staring fearfully into hers. "_TELL ME WHY!"_

"I _don't_ know, Naminé! I don't _know_ why Riku loves me! I didn't even know he still _cared_ about me!"

_Don't know _my assshe was tempted to say; but that wouldn't exactly make Kairi answer her question, would it? It _was_ pretty obvious that Kairi knew Riku _still_ loved her, no matter how he ignored her. If she didn't know _anything_ about it then _why_ in hell was she still holding him _back_? She screamed her last thought aloud at her Other.

To which she replied (in a very distraught voice, she might add, Naminé rarely got angry) "I'm not holding him back! You can be his girlfriend for all I care!"

She felt her jaw drop open; did Kairi have psychic powers or something to be able to read her mind like that? Had her connection to the princess as her Nobody still existed, even if she had already unmerged? Now _that_ was a scary idea. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she noticed that Kairi had opened the door and was already running out to the other side.

_She's running away!_ Her thoughts screamed at her, which in turn, she screamed out loud. She was _not_ going to get away with this! "_Kairi! Come back here!"_

----------

Roxas vaguely heard Sora complain something about hedges and close encounters with stupid hedges. He had pulled (more like pushed by force) his Other down behing some very convenient Gysahl bushes nearby the docks where they were sparring moments before.

Well, it was a fairly balanced match, him and the brunette Wielder. Even if he could use two Keyblades at once, Sora kept knocking both out of his grip with Strike Raids. That was a very good technique, seeing that he _still_ couldn't Recall his Keyblades whenever they got out of his hands (which Sora, obviously, took to his advantage). He _had_ suggested Sora to Drive, but for some reason he couldn't. Or maybe he was just _pretending_ he couldn't so he could annoy the hell out of Roxas with his Strike Raids. He did that all the time. He winced at the glare Sora threw him as he held up a very battered arm (hey, it _was_ his fault he almost dove behind the bushes and got his arm badly hurt. At least nothing was broken; he'd give Sora a Potion later.)

"So_ra_, there's somebody coming!"

Sora's brows furrowed together. "And so _what?"_ Roxas could almost _hear_ him thinking about what was wrong with somebody seeing them sparring together (aside from some particular rabid _fangirls_, well, if _they_ saw them...he'd not really think about it.) Well, _nothing_ was wrong about someone seeing them together, but he _really_ had a particular feeling that he had actually heard Naminé scream vehemently a while ago. _And_ he had seen (while Sora was busy casting a Blizzaga) seagulls suddenly fly over them from the other side of the island, as if something had spooked them off.

A wooden door on one side of the rock face suddenly burst open, revealing Kairi slowly backing away from a _very_ mad Naminé. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sora open his mouth, probably to yell at him _why _again they were hiding. He quickly clamped a hand over his Other's mouth, praying that he wouldn't bite (unlike the last time he did; he considered getting rabies shots) or make a very loud scene. "Shhh! Sora, keep quiet!" he hissed.

Sora only rolled his eyes and motioned for him to _get his hand off his mouth_. Roxas was about to say exactly who he had seen when--

"_N-Naminé! _Honest! I am _NOT_ holding him back! It's not my _fault!_" Kairi's voice pleaded. He peered over the bush, taking care not to make any noise. The redhead was shaking her head violently before her advancing Nobody, who, with a sweeping wave of her hand, summoned what seemed like an army of Dusks. He heard Sora and himself gasp at the same time. Never had Naminé summoned a Nobody before; she hadn't been involved in any of the ...erh, _fights_ in the Castle That Never Was. Although she _did_ show an angry sight when she yelled at Xemnas a few days ago, he had _never _known that under her calm persona was a very _violent_ Nobody.

Well, for most of the Organization members, it was the opposite. _And_ not even Xemnas could summon that many Nobodies at the same time.

In short, Naminé scared the hell out of him. No, what Naminé _would_ do to Kairi scared the hell out of him. He used the Oathkeeeper to push himself up, but Sora put a restraining hand on his shoulder. Roxas' eyes widened. "I knew it. You're _insane. _Naminé _will_ kill if provoked. All Nobodies do." True, _so _true. Why would the Castle be in such havoc always if it weren't?

"She won't." he said seriously, his cerulean eyes darkening. "She knows that if she kills her Other she will fade away with her."

He knelt back down, comprehending this piece of information. "I didn't know that," he muttered as he stabbed the sand with his Keyblades, sticking them upright on the white sand. It _was_ a relief that he really couldn't kill Sora while they were still merged. Sora turned his head to look at the girls' ...catfight again.

"_You ARE!"_ Naminé was shouting. What the _hell_ were they fighting about that she had become so _violent_? (and so he noticed some of the Dusks were already betting on who would be the first to die; Dusks weren't exactly known for their subtleness).

"How _can_ I? He's been ignoring me for the last couple of days!" Kairi shouted back, frustration evident in her voice. He felt Sora tense beside him, and he threw the brunette a questioning look.

"Why won't you just let Riku go!" Reality hit Roxas hard in the face (and repeated it a few more times for good measure) as he realized: of _course_, him and dear Naminé... he had seen them yesterday in the academy quad, walking, no, _strolling_ along, leaving questions in the mouths of everyone they had passed. Naminé waved at him cheerfully, and Riku grinned at him when they passed by him and Sora, and somehow, he didn't feel like grinning back. Well, he and Naminé treated each other as best friends now, and best friends only, but hey! Blame Sora liking Kairi. So he settled for something between a twitch of the mouth (Xemnas' version of a smile) and a very cheesy grin (Demyx's version, that appeared whenever he annoyed the hell out of someone like Xemnas).

"I already _have! _Naminé, stop it!" Huh? What exactly did Naminé mean 'let Riku go'? Didn't the fact that he had spent the day with her mean that Riku _was_ already hers?

The blonde girl put on a steely face and said in a steely voice, "No. You just won't let go of him, even if you already have _Roxas_ as a replacement for Sora!"

All the breath went of of Roxas in a whoosh, and he was suddenly very much aware of how Sora's knuckles were white as he clutched the Keyblade tightly. He had the desire to get as far away from Sora as possible, but given that a mad princess of light and an even more furious Nobody would see him try to portal out... the desire quickly faded. He glanced at Sora, trying his best to convey that he had absolutely no idea where _that_ came from. He really didn't, because all that he had done was talk to Kairi on the swings, dump a glass of water on her skirt, laugh at her cheerleading costume, be paired up with her on the Lifestream Physics project, walk her to some classes, walk her home--- _okay_. Sora looked really scary right now.

"You---isn't _one_ boy enough?" she continued ranting, the bets running through the whole Dusk crowd right now. " _Kairi_ you already have Roxas! Why, for all I know, you just like him because he's so much like _Sora!_"

He could feel Sora's eyes on the back of his head, probably wishing he could kill Roxas now. Naminé's words stung him; if Kairi _really_ was attracted to him, he was very sure it was only because he was _only _a reflection of Sora. Another thought came to him: this was the first instance that Naminé had addressed the fact that they were only _reflections_, doomed to exist in a world of Somebodies, and _it bothered her_. Who wouldn't? (Well, Zexion won't.)

"S-shut up, Naminé..._Shut up!_"

"Aaahh I found you out, didn't I?" Naminé said mockingly. The Dusks had already stopped making bets; they made a circle aroung the two girls, leering at them. "It's _such_ a good thing, that I can't _feel_, huh? Think I can't feel _hurt_?"

Roxas _never_ knew she actually felt the same way as he did, about how he was so _bitter_ about not being able to feel anything at all.

"_SHUT THE HELL UP!" _Kairi suddenly screamed, her tears falling freely now. " Do you _know_ the _pain_ of feeling? Do you _know_ what it's like to love someone I CAN NEVER HAVE, HUH?"

"Uh, _no_, since I can't _feel_ anything!" And he actually smiled at this point; she threw in the one argument Nobodies would always inevitably have, but the smile faded quickly when he saw the look on Sora's face.

"You're so damn _lucky_, you know that! You can have Riku for all I care! Go! _JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! Leave me alone!_" she dropped to her knees, sobbing as she did so.

Naminé's face fell, as if she hadn't expected her Other to break down like this. If she wasn't a Nobody, he'd say that she was feeling remorse. But she _was_, so he's saying that she was _un_feeling remorse. "You know I can never do that." she said quietly.

"I'd never wish this feeling on anyone...not even you, not even on Ansem, not even on Maleficent..." Kairi trailed off, letting her tears do the talking for her.

"Kairi..."

At this point in time Roxas was almost afraid to look at his Other, but nevertheless, he glanced at Sora. He seemed to be studying the shaft of his Keyblade intently, but the murderous gaze on his face gave him away, as if he wanted to break the Kingdom Key in two right then and there.

Naminé knelt in front of Kairi and held her hands tightly, peering at the girl's tear-streaked face. "Kai...I'm sorry for blowing up like that, I..."

Kairi cried silently for a good five minutes; Sora was nearing his breaking point. The Wielder made to stand up, and Roxas had absolutely no intention of stopping him. Crying girls, apparently, were a common weakness.

"I _want_ Sora, Naminé... I _need_ him," the words suddenly rushed forth from Kairi's lips, and Sora sat soundelessly back on the sand, "But I can't _have _him, I just can't because I'm a princess of light and he's...he's the Key, he's the Key, he has to go and leave everyone because it's his duty, and I'm so mad at myself because I _can't stop loving_ him, someone who I can never be with, someone who---"

"Shhh, Kai," the blonde whispered, but the calming effect Naminé normally had on people seemed to have been negated by the fact that she _had_ been screaming at Kairi earlier.

"_No_ I just love him so much, and it hurts when he _has_ to leave and I can't do anything about it, it hurts so much that no matter how I love him, no matter how I'd give everything up just to be with him, he can never be mine, ohh Naminé he can never be..."

"Breathe, Kairi. Relax and just---"

Kairi looked up with her tear-stained eyes (_hell_ it was so hard to look at) and sobbed even more. "_NO_ I just want the pain to stop I just want to **_forget_** him already, I don't want to be hurt anymore."

----------

"Did you hear that?"

Axel looked up from the chakram he was soldering (Marluxia had cut through one in half with his dangerously pink scythe earlier that morning) and stared at Larxene, who was lying on her bed and reading (the same book, for the thirteenth time). "Hear what?"

She stared at him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It was a scream."

"What scream?"

Larxene sat up, her brows furrowed together. "I could _swear_ I heard a scream. Of pain."

"Well of _course_ you would, seeing that you're a sadist and all that ja--" he dodged the kunai Larxene threw at his head. He opened his mouth to say something when she put a finger to her mouth and hissed.

"You may think I'm crazy, but I _know_ I heard..." she trailed off. "Okay, I _am_ going crazy."

"What?"

"I didn't exactly hear it, I just kind of felt it."

Axel rolled his eyes, dodging the kunai that followed. Leave it to Larxene to make an intelligent conversation. "Simply _amazing_, Larx, your powers of perception are so..._perceptive_...imagine, feeling a _scream_..."

"Ahhh, shut it Axel," she huffed, looking puzzled at herself (which happened very rarely, so Axel stared at her expression). "But it's true," she said quietly (another thing that happened rarely), fingering the page of the book she was currently reading. "Like a Heartless scream..."

"Heartless _scream_? Like there's any Heartless that'd dare come here."

"It's not that, it's like someone's heart..." she spread her hands helplessly, "broke or something. That's the second time that this has happened, and---_don't look at me like that Axel_, I'm going to fling your face full of knives."

Axel grinned to himself as he turned back to his soldering, listening to Larxene mutter to herself. At least today was a quiet day; except for that event with Marluxia this morning, him and Larxene had gotten along pretty well, and they haven't tried to kill each other yet.

"Arrgh!" he heard the blonde sigh audibly. "What the _hell_..."

--------

"You don't mean that, Kairi. You just don't." Naminé said in a horrified voice, recoiling from her Other as if physically struck. "You _can't_, not after all that--"

"I _do_. After everything that had happened, and everything that _will_ happen, I really _do_..." Kairi cut her off.

Whatever Kairi said she _knew_ that her Other; given a less stressful environment, would _never_ want to forget Sora. Yet she (un!)felt sorry for the hysterical girl crying her eyes out in front of her. She bit her lip, knowing that she would forever regret the words she would say next.

"I---If _that's_ what you really want, I can help you," she paused. "I suppose I _could_ chain your memories of him."

_There_. She said it. She felt disgusted with herself.

"Erase Sora from my _mind_...?" She forced herself to stare down at their hands, the hope in Kairi's face almost too painful to look at.

She shook her head. It was a limitation of her powers; she can only chain and rechain, replace and repair. Deleting was never something she could do; no matter how she broke the heart the memories would still leave a veritable imprint somewhere deep in the mind. The memories would seem gone, true, but a great shock could break the bonds she has placed, and the holes would start to fill in. Sora _was_ right in saying that she would always be in his heart. "I can never erase memories; I only _chain_ them down. But it's a reprieve--"

"Yes."

She stared at the resolve in Kairi's eyes (which were currently still shimmering with tears). It's funny how a _princess_ of heart could be so heartless. She had expected Kairi to scream at her at how she could even suggest such a thing, and--

"How could you even _say_ that!"

Her eyes widened. A furious Riku was striding up to them, he was almost running. She almost fainted, and that was no understatement. The very boy she and Kairi had been fighting for in the first place, and from the look on his face, he _was not_ happy about it. How he got here so fast; she didn't know, and right now, she had no room left in her head to care.

"Naminé! How could you _suggest _such a thing! After what you and Sora had gone through in Oblivion...! And _Kairi_! I don't even _want _to know why!"

Kairi was whimpering softly, but _she_...something snapped in her head. She shut her eyes. How Riku knew of Oblivion's events, she didn't want to know. But the memories swept through her mind, and an image of a boy suspended inside a white pod (not to mention the blidingly white room the pod was in, and a very disgruntled DiZ standing over her shoulder) appeared in the darkness of her eyelids.

_For the love of...! She was going to make the only one Sora ever loved _this_ much forget him forever!_

_Sora would die!_

She got to her feet, swaying unsteadily as she did. "I...Riku, I don't know... I just wanted to _feel_ so bad, I just wanted to be loved by _somebody_!" She brought a hand to her face, but failed to stem the flow of tears. "Now I'm _crying_ even if can't _feel_, I'm only _remembering_ how to, what did I do to _deserve_ this! Riku, I _love_ you, I think I really _do_, but how can I compete, I'm only a shadow of someone you truly love..."

She could hear Kairi make a derisive noise. Riku, however, ignored her outburst, which hurt her all the more (and the fact that Nobodies couldn't _feel_ pounded itself at her head). "But you _should_ be grateful for what Sora had done. Both of you. He saved us all."

"Well he missed a spot," her Other said loudly, her shaking voice kind of ruining the effect. "A _damn_ huge spot. You were ignoring me, Riku, and I'd be really happy if you just continued and _minded your own business_!"

Riku looked like a fish out of water, the way his mouth opened and closed silently. Any other time she would've laughed at how ridiculous he looked. _Now_ wasn't any other time.

"Do it, Nam." Kairi said emotionlessly, pulling on Naminé's wrist. "Chain my memories of Sora Hikari."

_Sora would die!_

"_No_ I can't!" she said hysterically, roughly pulling her hand out of Kairi's grip, ignoring her shocked expression. She concentrated until she felt a portal from behind her. She was running away, and she couldn't help it. "I just _wanted to love_, not be hurt like _this_. I wish he hadn't brought us back!"

And with a final glance at Riku's stunned gaze, she let herself fall into the safe and comforting darkness of the Corridors.

----------

"What...? _He_ brought us back...?" Kairi said softly. He was going to have to do some damage control from Naminé's outburst before Kairi figured it out. Well, _he _won't have to do anything, as soon as Naminé realized what she had just said, she'd chain Kairi's memory. Having Naminé close to you was scary; you could get amnesia if you annoyed her too much.

Sora made a whimpering noise, one which Roxas barely heard. His mind was still reeling at the exchange of words he had just heard. Was _this_ what having a heart was like? They were even _worse_ that the Organization! he thought. _We had an excuse, we didn't _have _hearts... but _them? How could they _stand_ the guilt they would most invariably feel, knowing that they had broken a _heart_?

Uh, screw that. _Shattered and pulverized _a heart

_Uh, _screw that again. They didn't _exactly_ know that they had broken Sora's heart, since both of them had hidden behind this (as Sora had so eloquently pointed out) _stupid_ bush.

Speaking of Sora.

He glanced at his Other, and his blood ran cold. There wasn't any other word to describe it.

Sora's eyes were _dead_. The light that was supposed to be there because he was _alive_ was actually gone. _Yes_, he noticed the usual sparkle in Sora's eyes were slowly fading with every day after Halloween, but now... he shivered and forced himself to look away.

"If _this_ is what feeling is all about, then I'm sure as hell glad that I'm a Nobody." he said loudly, standing up from behind the bush. If the situation hadn't been so serious he'd laugh at the stunned expression on their faces. He was relieved that Sora seemed too shocked to even stand up; the brunette was just staring at his Keyblade as if his life depended on it. Or his sanity.

"Didn't anyone tell you it was kind of _rude_ to eavesdrop on somebody's conversation?" Kairi said testily, obviously _mad_ he had heard her and her Nobody's argument.

"Didn't anyone tell _you _it kind of _hurts_ when someone you've loved all your life wants to just _forget_ who you are?" he shot back, picking up the Oathkeeper and Oblivion, keeping them out of harm's way if Sora suddenly had the desire to break Keyblades (_yes_, he might just do that).

Riku seemed to take this in another way. His own Keyblade, Way to the Dawn, appeared in his own hands in a spatter of lights. "Ro_xas_," he said in a warning voice as he stood close to Kairi. However, Kairi seemed too preoccupied with Roxas to notice him.

"What do _you_ care!" she yelled. "As if---"

He fought the urge to roll his eyes. Kairi was going to use the argument that, as Naminé had said earlier, all Nobodies had. "Tried and tested, failed all the time," he said nonchalantly. "_Yeah_, I can't feel, but---_Sora!"_

The Wielder stood up and let the Keyblade fade into little multicolored sparkles (_what?)_. Roxas gulped, and did his parched throat no favor. He watched as Sora walked around the bush and stopped in front of Kairi.

"Feh," he said faintly. Roxas' eyes widened; Sora was _smiling_ at this point. The smile combined with his hauntingly _dead_ (let's not say dead, shall we? Dull seems a better word) eyes made quite an unsettling combination. "_That_ seems to clear up quite a few things."

"S-sora?" Kairi choked out in a small voice. Riku said nothing; he must be too shocked of the fact that _Sora_ had heard everything, from the fight over _him_ to what Kairi _really_ wanted to happen, judging from the way his eyes widened.

Roxas ran to his Other's side, only to see the tears silently streaming down Sora's cheeks, past that _horrible_ frozen smile he had on. Sora's sanity must've already snapped. He was almost afraid to speak, but...

"Sora? Let's just..._go._" he said quietly, putting an arm around his now shaking shoulders. Bad as it may sound; he was _relieved_ when the smile faded from the brunette's face, it meant that at least he had retained a fragment of his _sanity_. Sora nodded.

He created a portal wordlessly, and avoided Kairi and Riku's gaze as he and his Other portalled out.

----------

Uh. Question. Is it 'paopu' or 'paupu'? Come on guys, help me out here. Oh yeah, and another one. Should the word 'Keyblade' be capitalized or not? Funny, I've been writing for some time now, and this is the first time I've thought of that.

Also, I've decided on the ending. Well, at first I cringed at the idea, but now it seems kinda plausible. And It's a joint one with Trinity. Don't worry, if you don't read Trinity you'd still understand the ending. But I'd really recommend that you do read it. So..enough of that.

A big shout to those guys who reviewed me! _Cookies for everyone!_

_**AnimeDutchess** _I love you. Word's ain't enough to say how much I love you. hugs 'n kisses

**xOxshortyxOx **There you go, I've updated already XD

**Smurf-Chan** Dang, I love it when you review. Makes me smile.

**Arie Under Presure** There! Descriptions galore!

**Darkdude17** Ahhh you're the best! Can't promise a happy ending though...

**Jerry's Schemes **_yes_ violence _is_ the answer! cackles evilly 

**Chyio-Chan** Yeah. But Larx can be the roomie from hell if you annoy her too much.

**Masked Felix** Feh, I like the way you talk... Ohhh thank you thank you thank you for the compliments...

YES, someone's (or Nobody's) gonna die. Cookies to the guy who guesses who! Wait. You people are already drowning in cookies by now. Maybe chocolate bars...?

Flamers, go ahead. Say what you want, it's not gonna kill you.

See ya in chappie 7.


	7. Solo Flight

**A/N: **Seven here! _Why_ are my Nobody's Perfect chapters always longer than the Trinity ones...? Dang, this is about 30 kb on WordPad, and my regular Trinity chapters are around 23 kb... okay, enough ranting. Just read on.

**Disclaimer: **I think there's a huge difference between 'Numina-Namine' and 'Tetsuya Nomura'. Jeez.

----------

**VII: So**_lo_** Fli**g**_ht_**

----------

Luxord was whistling, something that he hadn't done for a long time now. He ran a hand over his bleached hair (_don't_ tell anyone it's only bleached, he prefers everyone thinks it's his natural hair color; since _his_ natural hair color was a very nasty shade of red, thank you very much), making sure it lay flat on his head as it always did. He walked leisurely along the white halls of the Castle, searching for the perfect room for the event tonight.

Well, no-one knew _yet_ what he was planning to do, but they'll find out soon enough. The Castle was getting more...depressed than usual. From his point of view, of course. A very depressed Naminé had portalled into her and Roxas' room last night (or so he heard from a random Dusk), fresh from what seemed to be a catfight with her Other (said Dusk related that it and its buddies had placed bets on who would die first, but they all lost, since Naminé had backed out). Then another very _mad_ Roxas had portalled inside the Castle, taking a now-hysterical Naminé with him as they portalled out to some place Luxord had a sneaking suspicion was---no, he'd really rather not say where; it's just a _sneaky_ suspicion.

Marluxia had taken to holing himself up in his 'Radiant' garden and had neither spoken nor tried to kill anyone (save for Axel, whose best chakram was most probably sliced in two neat pieces by a swing of Marluxia's pink scythe) , which was something very unusual for Number XI. Well, he _had_ started holing himself up when Xemnas officially declared the Right Wing unlivable and told all its occupants to find other rooms for the time being. Naturally the long-haired brunette chose to stay in his garden, snapping at everyone who dared to come inside except for Larxene. Why? Luxord's the Gambler of Time, not the Seer of Time, so don't bother asking him.

Miraculously, no violence was reported in the Castle yesterday; no events of flying kunais or chakrams lodged in the walls; not _walls_ crashed open by claymores, and no number Nine messing up with Vexen's potions.

_That_ was how he defined depressed. So he thought he could shake things up with a simple game for tonight. No, of course he wasn't stupid enough to say outright that they were _actually_ playing a game, he'd nudge his plan into place.

He was rather hoping to get Axel and Larxene together, not in the roomate sort of way, but in the way that--he needed a heart to understand _that_. Why he wanted to do that? _No_ he wasn't an aspiring matchmaker, he was just trying to find out how much he can manipulate peo--_nobodies_.

Of course, everyone can do without a randomly flying kunai or chakram, right?

He stopped at a random door (blank, mind you, he might walk in on Xemnas and Vexen again) and opened it carefully (you may never know if it would be Zexion's closet of undone Sudoku puzzles, or Roxas' collection of fluffy bedroom slippers). A glass case was inside, containing what seemed to be a woman's bronze mask connected to tubing. Lettered on the top was 'the Jenova Project'. Now if this was Demyx he'd go straight and take the lid off, but _no_, this was Luxord, the fine gentleman (unless he was losing a gamble) and he slowly backed away out of the room, closing the door silently behind him.

He walked again up to the next door. It was said collection of fluffy bedroom slippers, all in either a shade of yellow or blue. He snitched a pair decorated with a chocobo head and went on his way.

Next door contained all the old sphere movies Axel used for blackmail; there was the one where he filmed Larxene singing in the shower (and notice how the sphere is cracked from where it hit Axel's head when Larxene chucked it at him), and there was also the one where he had filmed the Superior gelling his hair (_That_ sphere Axel had never used; simply because he was too busy finding out _why_ he would blackmail the Superior in the first place). Luxord rummaged through the pile and found the sphere recording of _him _singing at the top of his voice (hey, he was drunk, it was unavoidable) on the top of the dining room table.

Next door he found Xaldin's spare lances, and a box of multicolored plastic beads that looked suspiciosly like the colored version of the black ones in his dreadlocks. He'd _really_ love Xaldin in a multicolored 'do, that'd brighten up everyone's day. Maybe he could bribe Axel and Roxas to put them in while number Three's asleep. He picked up the entire box and shoved it into one of the slippers.

Next door he found Saïx's secret all-natural hair conditioner stash. He nicked one and went on his way, whistling.

Two hours and twenty doors later, his arms full of cosmetics, junk food, and bedroom accessories, Luxord finally decided that he'd hold the game in the dining hall, right after dinner. _Yes_, that was a better idea than finding an empty room in the Castle.

Whistling happily he spun on his heels and portalled out, snatching at a shampoo sachet at the last second.

----------

"Roxas, seriously, my ears are ringing."

"I should've talked to him. I should've talked to him."

Naminé watched him pace, his black shoes making a constant quiet thud on the paved walkway. She sighed and took out her sketchpad from her shoulder bag (never mind that's it a pink to rival Marluxia's scythe). She resisted the temptation to chew the end of her pencil, seeing firsthand _how_ someone looked so retarded doing that (She'd never look the same way at Zexion doing his Sudoku puzzle again).

Well, she couldn't blame Roxas for being worried about his Other. The details weren't clear, but she _had_ been crying quietly in her room the night before when a very disgruntled Roxas portalled in and grabbed her wrist, muttering something about hearts and breaking them, before portalling out to the house she supposed Riku and Sora shared. (Well, she had never actually _been_ there before, Riku walked her home, not the other way around. _Wait_. When she was still merged with Kairi she actually _had..._ it's giving her a headache, so let's move on) As soon as she appeared in what she supposed was the living room a white-faced Kairi had shot her a _very_ irritated look.

Enough reason for her to sit on the seat farthest from where her Other was sitting. Roxas related to her in an undertone that the chains she had placed were now starting to break; and that Kairi was getting more and more pissed with each of her returning memories. Naminé had not dared to look Kairi in the eye last night.

She, Kairi, Riku, and Roxas had tried the best that they could to make Sora come out of his room, but to no avail. Every approach they tried were met by stony silence. Roxas _had_ suggested breaking down his door, but Riku said he'd rather pass, for Sora had used the Keyblade to seal said bedroom door, and only _his_ Keyblade could unseal it again. It was past midnight when they parted ways, and she portalled out behind Roxas, still afraid of Kairi's glare.

Why did her chains start to break down? _She didn't know_.

Will her chains _continue_ to break down? _If she didn't focus, they most probably will._

She shook her head vehemently, ignoring her inner monologue. "Roxas. Please. Stop." she said quietly, looking up from the open sketchpad on her lap. The boy paid her no heed and continued pacing. It was one trait he had inherited from his Other; both could be stubborn as hell if they wanted to.

"Come off it, you guys," Kairi said dismissively, waving a hand around. "Bipolar that he is, I bet you he'd walk through that gate as if all's fine and dandy."

"You are the most insensitive girl I have ever come to know," Roxas said curtly, stopping his pacing on the walkway.

"But it's true, and you know it."

Her brows furrowed at the tone of her Other's voice; it was almost offhandedly, the way she said it. She _knew_ Kairi could never hate Sora, but from the way she acted now, she highly doubted that fact.

"Kairi, I think you should tone it down a bit," Riku said quietly, his mouth curving in a disapproving way. She glanced at him quickly before tearing away her gaze; after what had happened last night; she wasn't sure if she could look straight at him ever again.

"Riku. I am absolutely sure that he'll push this away, just as he pushed _me_ away," Kairi laughed bitterly. "He's always been a happy boy."

Always been a happy boy? Have these people never seen Sora's angry side? From Naminé's first impression of Sora, she thought he was a cold-blooded Keyblade Master. Well, he _did_ finish Larxene off quite nicely, but she _had_ been terrified of his reaction when he found out she'd been implanting false memories in his head.

Oh. He didn't just finish off Larxene; he had practically wiped out the whole Organization XIII in a fit of rage; trying to find Naminé in Castle Oblivion, and trying to find Kairi hidden deep inside the Castle That Never Was.

"No he wasn't." She pointed out (and surprised at how her voice turned out to be even). "He _killed_ the Organization. You don't think he's happy doing _that_, do you?"

Kairi raised an auburn eyebrow. "How would I know? You chained my memories down in the first place. You're scary for a friend, you know, and I'm still waiting for your explanation on _why_ you would do that."

She bit her lip and bowed her head, not daring to say that she was only doing that because _that_ was what Sora had wanted; he didn't want Kairi to go rushing after him just because he had brought back the very people he had killed a long time ago.

"Okay, here's the deal," the auburn-haired girl said loudly, making everyone's head swivel to her direction. "If Sora walks through that gate as if nothing's happened, we forget everything that had happened (she threw a not-literally look at Naminé) and we all become friends again, no bitterness, no nothing. Even Sora. Otherwise...well, you may forget that you have even met a Kairi Dalmasca in your lives."

Naminé felt her mouth drop open as she comprehended what Kairi was gambling about, and _yes_, it was a very risky gamble she was taking. She gripped her pencil and started to draw, trying to ignore Kairi's proposition.

"Hey!"

Her hand, about to make the outline of a face, froze above the white leaf of her sketchpad. She didn't need to look up to know whose voice that was, but, stunned as she is, she looked up nevertheless. The very Wielder they had been arguing about was waving at them energetically as he ran up to them, not a trace of sadness present on his face.

She heard Kairi say a faint "I told you so," before walking out briskly to where Sora stood.

---------

"Stop _laughing!_"

Axel muffled his mouth with a gloved hand (never mind where said gloved hand had been today, as long as it smelled alright), collapsing on the bed on his side of the room. He couldn't help it.

"I said stop _laughing, you idiot!_"

He quickly dove under the white (as if it'd be any other color) covers of his bed, laughing as he did so. He peeked out from under it to see the kunai lodged in the wall where his head would've been if he hadn't ducked (now how many times had that happened? He would've long faded by now if Larxene had caught on the fact that everytime she threw a kunai Axel _always_ ducked out of the trajectory).

"Oh I hate you so much!" she screamed, chucking another kunai at him before burying her face into one of her pillows, her face a very deep shade of scarlet. Axel could hear a moan that sounded very much like a muffled 'I hate you Xemnas'.

"I-is it _true_, Superior?" he managed to get in between hysterical fits of laughter.

"Yes. I do not get what is it that you find amusing about this, Axel."

He laughed even more. "T-the Savage Nymph...oh the _Savage_ Nymph, she can actually play violin! _Simply amazing, Larxy_!" He dodged another kunai, thrown by a furiously blushing number Twelve.

"Well, ignore Axel." The Superior said in a huff, facing Larxene. "I have just come from Disney Castle, and--"

"Whoa! Superior! You actually _went_ there!" Axel stopped laughing, a look of awe on his face. "How come you aren't--"

"Axel, _silence_ (in that melodramatic tone he always used, all he needed now was a dramatic atmosphere and theme music). They need a violinist."

"And _so_! Superior!" she almost howled into her pillow. Axel started laughing again. He never knew that Larxene had, of all things, _stage fright_.

"You play violin, correct?"

"But why do we have to help the King in this stupid Knighting in the first place?"

Xemnas almost rolled his eyes, but no, he was the _Superior_, he never rolled his eyes. "We are _not_ helping the King. You just have to keep an eye on the two Wielders who are to be knighted. Sora and Riku."

"Oh _please_, what can possibly happen to them? I might as well kill the two! Why not send Demyx, he's the Melodious Nocturne, for crying out loud!"

"Kairi will recognize him."

"_So?"_

"Most likely she'd attack Demyx on the spot, screaming that Organization XIII is back. We work covertly, Twelve."

"Oh cut it _out_!"

Axel dodged another knife, he had been playing an imaginary violin a second ago. "What? Just imagining how'd you look like!"

"Stop throwing knives and doing terrible imitations of a musical performance." It was _amazing_ how the Superior can make a scathing reply seem so _boring_.

"I propose a deal, then. Larxene, if you play on the Royal Orchestra tonight, I shall give you permission to move to your own room."

The blonde only moaned into her pillow.

"Three minutes. Disney Castle Library and Archives." And with a dramatic flip of his coat the Superior vanished into a portal.

"Hey, I never _knew_ you liked music, let alone play a violin, Larxene."

She lifted her head up and stared at him for a good minute before chucking the pillow into his face. "I'm not the one who knows how to play, it's my Other, you idiot."

"So what? You can play, right?"

"..."

"Larxene?"

"Larx?"

"Larxy?"

She threw another kunai at him before vanishing into a portal of her own. For some reason, Axel felt a twinge in his nonexistent heart; Larxene chose stage fright over him (what? that was what it essentially was). Well, he understood _why_ she wanted a separate room from her own killer (yes, he admitted it, she died because of his betrayal), but still...

_Axel, what are you thinking!_

He shook his head violently and portalled out, trying to find something to shove the thought of Larxene out of his head.

----------

Roxas watched Kairi's expression as she unfolded the note he had passed from Naminé to her. He wished he didn't, since the redhead then shot him one of her infamous death glares.

"Seriously, I'm terrified," he heard Naminé whisper.

He was tempted to say _me too_, but no, he was supposed to be the unfeeling one, so he shut his mouth and exchanged glances with the pale blonde instead.

What was _up _with Sora? The brunette's sanity must've already snapped. There he was, laughing at Tidus' imitation of Prof. Luccia's accent, as if nothing had happened the day before. He'd talked to them and chatted as if it was a perfectly normal day. Kairi was so freaked out that her fingernails left red marks on Riku's arm (well, he made clear to Naminé that he did _not_ like claw marks on his own arm, so the girl clutched onto his backpack instead).

Any other time Roxas would've been relieved that Sora had gotten over the fact that his princess was ready to forget him, but he expected it to take a _year_ at most. Sora had gotten over it in less than twenty-four _hours_, for crying out loud. He knew for a fact that his Other felt things more deeply than he let on(he'd been stuck in Sora's head, remember?), but this was _insane. _Sora was insane.

"Roxas!" Naminé hissed, shoving her drawing pencil over her table, and drawing his attention to the crumpled ball of paper Kairi had dropped. He surreptitiously picked both pencil and note, praying that the professor was too preoccupied to notice him. What was it with girls and notes, anyway? They could just wait for the class to end and talk outside, but _no_, they had to pass notes here in homeroom, and if anyone would get caught, it would be _him_. He rolled his eyes and Naminé elbowed him in the side.

"Hey--"

"Kirisawa? Hikari? Vat iz it that you vind vunny in my clazz?" Roxas struggled not to roll his eyes again, obviously, it was her _accent_. Tidus wiped his face clean of any trace of laughter (he was good at that), but all of the other people around him were struggling to contain their laughter. Sora was the one who failed the most miserably.

The professor, a severe woman with a prominent forehead, very thick glasses, a schoolmarm outfit, and dark blue hair tied up in a ponytail, raised a very thin eyebrow. "Detention zounds nice, doezn't it?"

Now, most of the normal student population would quail under that raised eyebrow, but Sora just grinned. That settled the fact that he was absolutely _not _a normal student.

"What does he think he's _doing_..?" he heard Naminé breathe _down his neck_. Her chair was now so close to his that if he stood up, she'd instantly fall down because she was actually leaning on him. He gave her a puzzled glance, and she immediately moved her chair away from his as fast as she could, her face scarlet.

Sora was shaking his head as he beamed up at the professor. "Uh, sorry, Prof. Luccia, but I kinda got somewhere to go to after class."

"And where might that ve?"

The dismissal bell rung as he rummaged in his bag and produced a tightly rolled piece of parchment bearing King Mickey's seal. The professor's raised eyebrow was now threatening to disappear into her hair, and _that_ was saying something, since her hairline was about five inches from her eyebrows (yes, her forehead was _that_ large).

"Don't worry, prof, I'll take the detention the next homeroom. I'll take everyone's detention; you can keep me here 'till midnight."

Cheers erupted from their classmates (mostly from those who were laughing at Tidus) and slapped the brunette on the back, whose grin was now so wide his face could actually _crack_. Tidus looked the most relieved; Roxas knew that he _had_ promised to walk Yuna home today (and face her father, a very comandeering man named Braska; he had moaned over this fact the whole lunch break).

Sora suddenly turned to them, his grin fading into a smile, but _still_...Roxas slightly leant back. The redhead on his right would take the most of the damage if Sora suddenly went berserk, but _hey_! Kairi _should_ get what she deserved, breaking his Other's heart just like _that_.

"So. You three coming with me and Riku tonight?" he asked.

Under any other circumstance, Roxas would've said yes, since he'd rather not be caught in another crossfire involving chakrams and kunais. But this wasn't any _other_ circumstance, so he was currently racking his brain on how to say _no_ in a good way.

"Uhhhm... I think no." Naminé stammered. "W-we have a..."

_Think, Roxas, think!_

"...it's that Lifestream Physics homework. It's kinda difficult," he continued. "Naminé has to teach me how exactly to do it."

It _was_ true, he _was_ going to ask her to tutor him, but he still winced at the glare the blonde shot at him, which said no-way-am-I-going-to-teach-you very much clearly.

Sora shrugged offhandedly. "Last time I took Physics it gave me one heck of a workout. I was never the same since."

Kairi exchanged bewildered glances with him and Naminé before sinking into deep thought (either that, or she was too freaked out to say something in front of the bipolar Wielder).

"Kairi! Did you eat today?" the brunette suddenly asked, waving a hand in front of the redhead.

"Huh? Of course I did! Why're you asking?"

"You keep spacing out on me."

"Uhm..."

"You're gonna go with us, right?"

"Yes, yes, sure, Sora, " Kairi answered.Roxas noticed that her chair was slowly moving towards his own.

"Alright!" he exclaimed, punching his fist in the air. "Riku'll pick you up at around seven. What about you two?" He turned his attention on him and Naminé. They simultaneously took in a sharp breath, and Roxas was suddenly very aware of how dull Sora's eyes were. For once he didn't mind Naminé's deathgrip on his arm; in fact, it felt positively comforting.

"Toldja we can't, Physics homework," he said in what he hoped was a normal voice, focusing not on his eyes, but on his eyebrows (stupid as it may sound, it was _way_ better than staring into those eyes of Sora's).

"Well, say hi to the neighbors for me."

_Neighbors? What neighbors_?

Naminé discreetly traced the letters XIII on his arm (never mind her touch left his skin feeling very tingly)and squeezed his hand tightly (again, never mind the tingly feeling).

_Oh. _Those _neighbors._

He determinedly avoided Kairi's once more bewildered stare and said quickly, "Yeah, okay. Come on, Nam, you'd better get started on teaching me that homework." He stood up and swung his backpack over his shoulder (in which he had already packed his things; he always believed in hasty escapes), grabbed Naminé's wrist (not the hand, they were _friends_, she made that clear as crystal), and threw Kairi what he supposed to be an apologetic look.

He had never been in so much of a hurry to get out of the classroom in his entire nonexistence. As soon as they were out that door Naminé pulled her hand out of his grip. He faced her, wearily expecting a lecture on leaving friends in tight situations.

"I am absolutely _not_ teaching you Lifestream Physics, Roxas," she hissed. "I have my _own_ homework to do, and--"

"But there's no school tomorrow!" he pleaded. "I'm going to flunk it if you don't teach me!" And for added measure, he pulled on his puppy-dog eyes look, at which Naminé's expression softened visibly. Yes, the puppy eyes always worked, especially when he was desperate. "I wasn't making it up, really, I can't understand the---"

"Oh, shut it, Rox," she sighed resignedly. "Alright. I'm sure that if I'd say no you'd pester me to death." And with that she grabbed his _hand_ and pulled him out of the hallway.

He had half a mind to point out the fact that she was holding his hand, and people would have the wrong impression, but as her fingers curled tightly around his own... well, he'd decided he'd rather not.

----------

Larxene stared around Disney Castle's Audience Hall, and she could feel the color drain out of her face. _That_ was a weakness she shared with Naminé (although she'd rather share a room with Axel for the rest of her nonexistence that admit that). She _hated_ large gatherings of people, especially those particular gatherings where they were watching _her_.

She resisted the urge not to portal out right then and there as she watched the King try to get the attention of someone hshe supposed was the conductress. _Damn you Demyx, why the _hell_ did you have to tell the Superior I can play violin_!

Well, not exactly, it was her _Other_ who had learned to play the violin, and she had only inherited her (actually very good) talents, thank you very much. She tapped her foot impatiently, trying to bore a hole in the back of the King's head. Finally Shelinda noticed that the King _was_ trying to get her attention for the last fifty seconds, and she was now apologizing profusely.

"It is understandable, Shelinda. I have found you a violinist."

She was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts as the King swept a gloved hand towards her.

_What, am I supposed to curtsy or something? Xemnas, as of now, I officially hate you. _

The conductress looked at her in the most annoying appraising look Larxene had ever endured.

_Don't throw a kunai. Don't throw a kunai. Don't throw a kunai._

"Play for her." King or not, she still shot the mouse in front of her one of the deadliest glares she had at her disposal before resignedly taking out the violin the King had lent her an hour ago.

_I'm gonna kill Demyx. I'm gonna kill Demyx._

She took a deep breath, placed the bow on the strings of the violin, shut her eyes tight, and played her Other's favorite tune; a violin solo dedicated to a High Summoner a long time ago. The motions came to her naturally (it _was_ memories from her Other) and the hall was completely silent when she stopped.

_I'm gonna kill Demyx_.

Applause suddenly erupted around her, and she winced at the volume. Normally she'd have cast Thundaga on all of them, but this required self-restraint.

_Breathe, Larxene. Breathe. Kill Demyx later._

"I have never heard anything of the like, girl," the conductress said breathlessly (oh my _god_ were those tears? Emotions were _weird, _how could a violin solo do _that_?). "Where did you learn to play like that?"

Larxene's hand strayed to the inside of her sleeve and her fingers almost closed on the cool metal of a kunai before she restrained herself. She shot the brunette her coldest glare instead. "First of all, don't call me girl, I have a _name_. And secondly, if I told you where, you most probably won't believe me."

Well ,she probably won't, who would believe that _she's_ a Nobody? As far as she knew, half of the Court dismissed Organization XIII as the rantings of a madman (Ah, DiZ, you shall forever be remembered), and the other half _refused_ to talk on said subject.

The King sighed audibly. "She is a bit feisty, but nothing (Larxene threw the King another glare, that was practically _insulting_) you cannot handle. Off with you two, and make sure tonight will be perfect."

She sighed as she turned her attetion back to her violin. If she was going to play tonight, she'd better play the best she possibly can, so the Superior won't have any complaints, and that she would _finally_ be able to get her own room.

_Yes. For my own room_. That was a motivating thought.

"I am the Court Conductress, Shelinda," the brunette said loudly, snapping her out of her thoughts on how to kill number Nine.

_Larxene, be civil. Yes. For my own room. _She sighed again and stared at Shelinda. "I didn't exactly wish to be here, but... Larxene's the name."

Never mind that she was starting to sound like a lunatic. _For my own room._

"Well, Larxene, the violinist you are replacing has a solo violin in the Knighting's final waltz, and--"

"_What!"_

"Ashe has the solo part---"

_I am absolutely not going to play solo!_

"Larxene, for someone of your talent, the piece will come naturally, and..."

She tuned out Shelinda's ramble (something about natural talent and constant practice) and debated with herself. Which would she rather do: play in front of the whole _court_ or share a room with Axel for... who knows how long!

_Wait._

"Shelinda, we _are_ going to play sometime other than that...that final waltz, right?"

"Yes, yes, of course we are."

Larxenen didn't notice the puzzled expression on Shelinda's face as she smiled. Xemnas only wanted _a_ violin performance, right? Screw Sora and Riku, most likely if she sees them, she'd chuck kunais in their faces. Maybe there _was_ a way out of this, and she could _still_ get her own room.

"This Ashe... where does she live...?"

Hah. Larxene playing violin was something I had in mind the whole time, but I just realized that it's gonna clash with the next chapter, so...man, I think next chapter's gonna be longer. She _can't_ play violin that night 'coz Luxord has somethin' planned. What is it? If you know Luxord, you know what he's planning.

Question! Uhm... What exactly are Mary Sues...?

Yay for reviews!

**Teh Pwnful Kiwi **So it's either Sora, Riku, or Kairi...? Oh yeah... might turn out to be Larxel, this one. _Might_.

**darkdude71** Kairi _is_ heartless when she wants to be, you know. Screw princess of light-stereotype. Yay for reality!

**Skitty 2004** I'm not even sure if Sora's sane in the first place. XD

**hikari-aozora **Actually in Japanese tradition, last names go first, so it's gonna be Hikari Sora. But I'm adopting the western style, so first names, well, go first. And sorry if I made you sad, but every multi-chapter in my head has somebody kicking the bucket. Man, I'm such a depressed author.

**Masked Felix** You _do_ have something against the King, dontcha? Is it the squeaky voice, or his horrible fashion sense? And yeah, the search engine's dead for the past couple of days.

**The Superior **Dang, you're one funny dude. Powpoo... way better.

**Arie Under Pressure** You're very much welcome.

**Namine's Heart** Ahhh, my nonexistent heart fills with joy reading your words...XD

_Chocolate bars for everyun! NYUUU!_

Oh. Next chapter's almost exclusively about Nobodies, since Roxas and Naminé aren't going to the Knighting.


	8. Insight

**A/N: **So sorry this came out late, I was stumped by the Trinity chapter partner. Forgive me and my human limitations; or in a manner of speaking, I have had writer's block. The Trinity chapter was _so_ damn depressing, so I've decided to lighten this one up. Hell, the Nobody's Perfect chapters are _always_ lighter. That's why the genre's Humor. Also, bit o' fluffiness, for the Romance part.

**Disclaimer: **Do you have any idea on how _much_ the property tax on Kingdom Hearts is? Me neither, but with only lint in my wallet right now, I have no way of affording it whatsoever. In short, I _don't_ own Kingdom Hearts.

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**VIII: In**_sight_

"What is _that_?"

"What is what?"

Demyx frowned, scratching his chin as he stared at the black-cloaked (which could mean anyone from melodramatic Superior to the guy who actually _makes_ the things, but he doesn't care) Nobody in front of him. "I've heard that tune before."

"Sanctuary."

"Yeah, that's it!" he said, grinning widely. A sudden thought struck him.

"Luxord, you can _whistle?_!"

Number Ten wheeled around to face him, his hands rapidly shuffling his cards (Deck no. 153, Luxord's third most private deck, and Demyx would rather not know what its design is, thank you very much) for the third time this minute. His brows furrowed in a very gentlemanlike way as he stared at him.

"Apparently, I can," he said condescendingly. Demyx wanted to slap himself; statement like _that_ were usually taken in the most literal of ways, resulting in a _lot_ of philosophical replies (besides, slapping himself would inevitably lead to a deluge of concerned water-forms, and he's really rather not get wet).

_That_ was how Organization XIII worked; throw them a simple question, and they come up with impossibly complicated answers that required _hours_ to explain (look at Xemnas and his long-winded meetings; he had managed to twist 'leftovers' to 'beings born from the breaking of heart, body, and soul, floating between the steps of Light and the abyss of Darkness'). He was grateful that some of his co-members _still_ went straight to the point. Bless Roxas and his adolescent vocabulary. Well, for two of them, words weren't exactly _needed_, kunais and flying Chakrams-of Death spoke for themselves.

"Obviously. D'you think I'm _that_ dense, Luxord?"

"Everyone else does..."

Demyx's fingers itched for his Sitar, but he had decided earlier that he'd practice not being so spontaneous (an idea gleaned from Saïx's beloved 'Anger Management: an Indestructible Manual for the Modern Berserker'), so he stared Luxord in the eye and spoke one word.

"Seniority."

He struggled not to laugh at the expression on the blonde man's face.

"Laughing, are you?" Number Ten arched an eyebrow, his hands shuffling his cards so fast they were only a blur. "Let's see if you'll last _tonight_," he said cryptically before portalling out. Demyx stared at the spot for a few seconds, puzzled, before shrugging it off and turning to walk in the opposite direction.

Whatever Luxord said; Demyx was _still_ a digit higher than him. Seniority was another one of the Order's idiosyncrasies; whether he liked to admit it or not, they were _fanatics_ of hierarchy. It was actually nice to know that whatever your fighting skills, you _still_ stood above someone.

Well, for Roxas, it should've been _hell_, but _no_, he was the Key's Nobody, and Xemnas had taken a special interest in him.

That led to Larxene. But she was the only female member, and it was an unspoken rule _never_ to cross her, unless you had a death wish (Axel seemed especially fond of death wishes, judging from the number of times he'd ambushed her). He shivered involuntarily; she _had_ promised him the hardest sparring session he will ever experience once she got out of playing violin with the Royal Orchestra tonight. What? Her name only kind of...slipped out when the Superior started portalling and asking Nobodies randomly if they knew anyone who could play violin. She _should_ be grateful; but then again, pain _was_ the way Larxene showed her gratefulness.

_That_ led to Marluxia, onetime Lord of that Castle Oblivion thing (he _still_ didn't get how Naminé pulled of the whole 'memories changing with every floor' stint, that girl is _dangerous_, if you ask him) that was sadly laid in ruins by a very pissed off brunette Wielder. So much for taking over the Organization and everything. In Demyx's opinion, Marluxia _was_ the lowest right now, and he certainly was living up to it, holing himself in his garden for a full week now (following the very violent scuffle in the Right Wing).

Footsteps pounded on the marble floors, and it wasn't his. He quickly ran to a random pillar (actually arranged 2.75 meters apart by a very precise Lexaeus, but Demyx always thought of things as random ones, so let's just leave him be) and stood still behind it. From the volume of the footsteps echoing off the walls, the owner was _mad_, and angry Nobodies were, simply put, bad for your health. Larxene and Axel was a prime example.

"How _dare_ he do this! He'll _pay_ for this, I swear---" Marluxia came into view, his brows drawn together, his hands clenched into fists. He shook his head vehemently (miraculously, his brunette hair managed to settle in place in perfect layered harmony) and he stomped down the hall, muttering something along the lines of murder as he went.

"Someone's happy today," Demyx murmured as he carefully summoned a portal, intending to get as far away from Marluxia as he could. Swirling-Pink-Blizzards-of-Agonizing-Death was something he most certainly could do without today.

**--------------------**

Xemnas tapped a black boot against the carpeted floor of Disney Castle, wondering how wall-to-wall carpeting would look like in the Castle That Never Was. He pondered on this for a few minutes, then decided against it. No matter how stylish a camel-colored plush carpet looked like; it would fare rather badly against the elemental spells that would inevitably ravage the floor.

_Yes._ That was why he chose marble as material in the first place; it was the sturdiest, and most magic spells hardly left a crack. However, the Thundagas and Firagas that were usually cast in the hallways didn't fall in the 'most magic spells' division. He poked a booted toe at a rip in the carpet, now wondering _why_ he was wondering about carpeting, when he should be wondering where the King was.

He wasn't exactly spying. Heck, King Mickey actually _expected_ him tonight. Xemnas couldn't believe the King would be _that_ welcoming; the whole ruining-his-dearest-friends-dream-and-creating-mayhem-in-general thing was somehow thrown out the window. He had told Xemnas that any member would be welcome in Disney Castle, as long as they kept their cloak and violent tendencies under wraps.

And yes, this _was_ the King who was on the second to Sora on their hitlist (actually a vivid pink Post-It that he had stuck on the fridge, so that there was no way a member would miss it) of Somebodies to kill. He shook his head slowly. The heart really _is_ a strange thing. He found no point in amnesty, unless the giver had something to gain. (Castle Oblivion flashed again before his amber eyes---the memories are _so_ unforgettable).

Speaking of Sora, he _had _been watching the boy from afar. He didn't trust (he didn't trust _anyone_, thank you very much) Larxene to keep an eye on the two; she was far too preoccupied muttering 'I hate you Xemnas and Demyx' to do so.

The two Wielders had brought a Princess of Heart with them; and Xemnas knew King Mickey would be _very_ grateful he did.

Would the Plan (capitalized to differentiate it from all the other plans the King had in his filing cabinet) work? He doubted it; he had firsthand experience on what would happen if you pushed a heart too far.

Well, Wielders' hearts are an exception, but still...

The Castle Library doors burst open, and a _very_ pale King Mickey sprinted out, a sword in his hand. Xemnas had no idea why he _was_ sprinting, since a Court _always_ waits for a King, and if he were in the King's (huge, yes, he supposed all Wielders do) shoes, he'd be taking as _long_ as he could.

"You really are too old to be reminded never to run with pointed objects in your hand, King Mickey," he said aloud, watching the King skid to a stop using the sword he was holding.

His eyes narrowed at him as he pulled the sword out of the marble floor. "Do _not_ interfere, this is for _my _kingdom's good."

Xemnas sighed; they had gone through this conversation so many times before he had already lost count.

The big Plan was simply to bind the two Wielders to the Light. _That_ Xemnas had vehemently opposed. Binding to the Light meant draining the heart of darkness. You simply can_not_ do that; the heart was _supposed_ to contain both light and darkness. But King Mickey, with the stubborness common to all the beings who go around with huge keys, simply refused to listen; he kept going on and _on _about the pros outweighing the cons.

All Xemnas knew is that if the Knighting succeeded, they'd end up with two dead Wielders. But being the 'Superior' he was, he had a reputation to protect (he _had_ to create one, since Nobodies literally have _nothing_ to start with, that was one of the downsides of being just a huge accident), so he thought of a fitting comment.

"Ahah, dear, dear King, always thinking of his beloved Kingdom's well-being," he said dramatically. The blade of the sword clutched in the King's hand glinted, drawing his gaze. He smirked. "That _Keyblade_... think of its..._repercussions_..."

_That_ was another reason why Xemnas had so vehemently opposed the plan; it used forbidden magic. Specifically, the Keyblade used to create Roxas and Naminé. Forbidden because of the massive darkness that was used to create it--the twisted light from the hearts of six Princesses of heart. He had no idea how that Keyblade came to the King's hands, and he'd rather _not_ know how the King could stand so much darkness in close proximity.

"Bind to the Light. It does what it must do."

He clucked his tongue. "Ah, there lies the problem...you do know that no-one has ever tested this particular...mechanism before...? All we certainly know is that it can release hearts, but bind them...? I don't think so..."

The King frowned. He had told Xemnas that he had found a vague description of said Keyblade in one of the Secret Ansem (word still left a bitter taste on his tongue, and he forced himself not to grimace) Reports, and that it described something about oaths and making them binding (accompanied by a stick figure illustrating what would happen if one broke the sworn oath; _that_ was one of the most unsettling illustrations he had ever seen). And because of typical Wielder stubborness, King Mickey had gone all out in order to perform said binding.

"It binds someone to the Light. Not to _me_, but to the Light. Allegiance to the Light _only_. Do _not_ interfere, Xemnas."

Xemnas came forward from the pillar he was leaning on, and stared at the King. The mouse stared back, as if daring him to contradict.

He sighed. Nobody stubborness he could handle; however, Somebody stubborness was another thing altogether.

"Go on, then...but let me remind you, King, that in the brightest of flames..."

The King had already spun around and continued his sprint down the Colonnade, but Xemnas knew that they were both thinking of the same thing.

"...there is the darkest of shadows..." he murmured before leaning back on his pillar, waiting for the news to come. His booted foot started poking the carpet again.

**---------------------**

Dinner at the Castle That Never Was was always an experience. You never know whether you will come out of the Dining Hall unscathed. One of the things about Organization XIII that Naminé would rather _not_ know. Dinner with four members was chaotic enough (the salad was often punctuated by Marluxia giving a taking-over-the-Order speech), but dinner with all _thirteen_ of them? She shivered.

"Feeling cold?" Roxas asked, his blue eyes peering at her, his brows furrowed together (which seemed to be doing a lot of furrowing lately).

"No." Naminé eyed the cloak draped across the back of his chair. "Just gaping. So _that_ is what you guys wear under your cloaks."

He rolled his eyes. "Did you think we were naked underneath?" An evil grin spread across his face. "Did you actually _want_ to see me--"

"Shut it, Roxie," she pouted at him, ignoring the heat creeping up her face. "You _should_ get away from Axel more often, he's polluting your mind." She glanced down the table at Number Eight, who was now morosely picking at the Caesar salad in front of him. "What is _up_ with Axel, anyway?"

"Eww, Roxas, _chew_," she said firmly, seeing that the boy was trying to answer her question with a mouthful of carbonara. (Carbonara? Caesar salad? It was Lexaeus' turn to do dinner today; and if there ever was a health buff, that would be _him_.) He struggled for a few moments before swallowing.

"Larxene's gone, and he hasn't had anyone to harass for hours..."

"There are twelve other people here, including me, to harass." She said, gesturing a pale hand around her. Roxas just shrugged and resumed attacking his carbonara. _She_ twirled her fork and ate in small bites, being the Nobody of a demure girl that she was. She stole a glance at the blonde boy beside her. No matter how hard she tried to get it out of her system, he reminded her of Sora.

She cringed. _Naminé, stupid, he IS Sora's shadow_. Her nonexistent heart still fluttered (albeit very weakly, but when you have a nonexistent heart, you don't take little twinges like that for granted) everytime she caught sight of him or said his name. Kairi must've loved Sora _very_ much for her to feel like that.

_What I wouldn't give for my own heart..._

She blinked; a tiny water form had just climbed out of her water goblet and climbed down onto the white (of course; Organization XIII had only three official colors: black, white, and a whole _lot_ of grey) tablecloth, leaving tiny little watery footsteps in its wake as it made its way down to a snickering Demyx. Marluxia, who was sitting across her, froze at the sight.

"De_myx_," he hissed across Luxord at the mohawk (which, in Naminé's opinion, was just Demyx's fancy term for a very bad haircut)- haired teenager, who was now laughing silently. "What the _heck_ do you think you're doing?"

Demyx gave Marluxia one of his wide-eyed innocent looks (which eloquently informed the observer that _yes_, he was about to create mayhem) before turning back to the tiny water form running in circles around Zexion's table napkin. He pointed a discreet finger.

"Hell _no_." She heard Roxas mumble, mouth full of pasta. For once, she didn't mind, because right now, the water form was headed for a peacefully eating (white sauce-smeared) Saïx.

_Saïx._

Naminé shut her eyes tightly and braced herself.

**--------------------**

_Two more bars._

_One more bar._

_One more note._

Larxene fought the urge to whoop with relief. The piece the orchestra was playing was finally finished, and she now could actually _tell_ Xemnas she had already played violin. He never said anything about playing for a _specific_ piece, didn't he?

She stood up and got off the podium, knowing that she wasn't actually supposed to sit out _this_ piece, but she had spotted a familiar face. And _he_ had also spotted her, judging from the stunned amusement on his face. She found herself gripping the violin and bow so hard that the wood would inevitably splinter.

_Relax, Larxene._

"L-Larx--"

She darted to him and covered his mouth with a bow-wielding hand just in time.

"I _will_ kill anyone who recognizes who I am, Wielder," she hissed, satisfied with the wide-eyed look she was getting from Sora (but then again, Sora _was_ always wide-eyed, so let's just say 'surprised look') ."So _don't_ scream out my name, idiot."

"_I_ recognized _you_, Larx," he pointed out innocently. She brought down the bow on his head and almost grinned in the resulting wince.

"Smart aleck," she said, snickering at him. Smart alecks, especially spiky-haired ones (can you say Roxas and Axel?), were definitely _not_ in her book. "_You_ are very lucky I am under orders, or you'd be long dead by now."

Now, the statement 'you'd be long dead by now' would automatically bring fear to the eyes of anyone normal, but Sora just stared at her unbelievingly. Not exactly the reaction she'd expected.

"You're under orders to play violin? Organization _XIII_ must be planning something to make one of their members play _violin_," he said, his eyes so wide that if they went any wider they'd fall out of his head.

She choked. She was definitely _not_ expecting that. "Yes--I mean, not actually--_geez_," she sighed, mentally berating herself.

_Way to go, Larxene. Okay. Calm and collected. And savage. _ "It's a long story."

Sora cocked his head and stared at her from another angle. "Shoot. I have the whole night."

"I have a whole night to try and find the violinist I replaced, so I don't have time to tell you."

"Xemnas sent you to watch over us, right?"

"No, he made a deal with me so I can move out of Axel's room."

She choked back a gasp. From the stunned expression on Sora's face, she shouldnt've said that.

"You're rooming with _Axel_?"

Larxene rolled her eyes. It _was_ a trait of all Nobodies; they naturally scoffed at questions whose answers were obvious (meaning there was actually no _point_ exclaiming in front of a Nobody). "Why the hell would I be moving out in the first place? I didn't think you were _that_ dumb, Sora."

_I don't have time for this. The final is going to be played in less than thirty minutes, and I will absolutely _not_ play again!_

"Don't worry, I'll kill you some other time. Right now, I have to find that violinist."

"Why? You play great, you know. Way better than Demyx."

She felt her cheeks heat up, and reflexively shot back. "Shut it, Wielder, I'm not the one supposed to be playing--"

"You're scared of playing in front of people, huh?" He grinned, looking like someone who had just found out a huge secret that no-one was supposed to find out. However, said grin quickly faded, mainly because of the glare Larxene made sure was placed firmly on her face.

"Who're you looking for, anyway?" he said awkwardly.

"Some Ashe St. Ivalice. And now, if you'd stop laughing at me, I have to go." She really did, because all she knew was that this Ashe lived in Destiny Islands, and the Islands numbered close to a _hundred_, not counting the private ones.

Sora stared at her strangely before opening his mouth. "Ashe's down at Destiny Islands. South Port, Summoner's Square, third house on your left. In the Arcadias' home." he eyed her uneasily. "You're not going to kill her, are you?"

Relief (never mind that she was just remembering that) flooded her. _Now_ she can find the head violinist in time. "Hell no, she's my ticket outta here."

"Good, because you won't stand a chance against a Paladin, much less two of them. Ashe and her, uhm, well, _Vaan_ are both Paladins, you know."

_What the hell? Paladins? _She shrugged. "If I were you, I'd stay out of Nobody business."

"I'm just saying!" he said defensively.

Larxene smirked at him and crossed her arms, pointing the sharp end of the violin in his direction. "_You_ know I can kill you with this, Sora."

"Is that how you greet everyone? With death threats?"

_HIt the nail on the head with _that She tossed the violin and bow to him, the urge to find this Ashe and drag her down here getting stronger by the second. The Superior may be good at analyzing, but he missed a few technicalities that way. "If you see the Superior, tell him I've done my part of the deal. See you around."

She grinned at the bewildered look on Sora's face before quick-Portalling away, (Everything Larxene did actually had a prefix 'quick'; courtesy of Demyx, because she was _fast_, obviously.)her mind set on finding this Ashe and _make_ her come back to Disney Castle. What_ever_ it took. And when she gets back to Castle Oblivion, the first thing that she's going to do is to _kill Demyx_.

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So sorry, I'm kinda pressed for time here, so this chapter's _short_. I'm still kinda pissed off at myself. The Trinity chapter 14 _was_ actually supposed to have _this_ chapter partner...stupid writer's block. As a result, I'm one chapter late, so no Trinity one for a while. I'm so EVIL, I know that. If you didn't read the last two chapters of Trinity, I suggest you go read them now. Just...don't kill me. Please.

Replies to yer reviews, mateys!

**Skitty 2004** I like the way you put it... Nice Hysterical Way...

**hikari-aozora **Yeah... but Trinity's a _hell_ of a lot more depressed. This fic's almost happy, in my opinion.

**Masked Felix** Who the _hell_ thought of those horrible Mary Sues in the first place...? So evil... Oh, I love it when you review... so delightfully long...XD

**Teh Pwnful Kiwi **Well, I do like thanking my reviewers, y'know, that's why I do review replies.. XD

**Mayab** Thank _you_ for reviewing this fic o' mine. Gotta warn you though, the Trinity one's tragic.

**Namine's Heart** Actually that's what I'm planning to do... We have to make the Organization more...human or somethin'.

**Chyio-Chan** You'll have to read the next chappie to find out what Larxene's planning to do... I'm so evil. X3

I therefore conclude: Mary Sues and Gary Lous are EVIL! -shudder-

Anyways, just want to tell you guys that I reply to _all_ reviews, even if they are from the previous or some other chapter. All new reviews _will_ be replied to in the next chapter.

Read. Review. Flamers, go ahead.

Quote for chapter 9 is

"_Y'know, _you_ make me feel like I have a heart. I just don't know how to show it."_

I know you're all thinking pyromaniac. May be him, may not be him. You know me well enough to expect the unexpected.

Also, I want to rub it in: **NO TRINITY CHAPTER UNTIL NOBODY'S PERFECT CHAPTER 10 IS POSTED! **It'll spoil the story if I do.

I'm so evil.


	9. Drownin' thy Problems

**A/N:** I have to warn you (if you haven't noticed before) that Nobody's Perfect is _big_ on parenthesis abuse. Sorry, but that's the way I do it. I do admit, however, that I've been inspired by a fic _Disorganization_ by Esse. I recommend it, natch.

**Disclaimer:** That's why it's called **_dis_**claimer. Meaning you say that you **_don't_**.

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**----------**

**IX: _Dr_**_ow**n**_**i_n_' **t_h_y** P**_rob_**le****m**_s_

**----------**

"**S**ign...give me a _frickin'_ _sign!_" Larxene muttered, walking briskly through the streets of South Port, Destiny Islands. How was she going to find Ashe if signs were apparently forgone in this place? She glowered at nothing in particular, the phrase 'I hate you Xemnas and Demyx' running laps in her mind.

"Kupo?"

She immediately whirled around, her kunais slipping instantly into the gaps of her fingers, expecting some Heartless ambush of some sort (_Kupo_ was something she _had_ heard before, in Castle Oblivion, and she supposed it was just some weird noise the Heartless memories made). Then she realized that (a) Heartless do _not_ usually announce themselves, and (b) why the _hell_ would Heartless come near her; she definitely had no heart to steal.

Instead, she faced empty air. Her eyebrows furrowed. "I swear I heard--"

"Down _here_, kupo!"

She looked down, and was faced with the cutest thing she had ever seen in her nonexistence.

_Wait. Did I just think this overstuffed stuffed toy was _cute_? Lar_xene_, get a grip on yourself!_

She _had_ to admit, had she been a normal seventeen-year-old, she would've gushed over it, but _no_, she was number Twelve of the Thirteenth Order, thus dubbed Savage Nymph, so the fitting thing to do was to (a) rip it into tiny little pieces, or (b) torture it a bit, watch it squeal in pain, _then_ rip it into tiny little pieces.

Her fingers twitched, but not to kill, but to squeeze its tiny little pompom. She grimaced and retracted her kunais, ignoring the urge to pick up that---_thing_ and just poke at it.

"Kupo?" It looked up at her with its tiny little squinted eyes, making the cutest (she bit her lip _hard_, drawing blood, and _that_ snapped her out of her stuffed-toy fantasies) little noise as it hovered a few inches off the ground with the help of the cutest (_aaargh_) tiny little wings.

She wiped blood off her lower lip with her sleeve before staring back down. "Excuse me, but what _are_ you?" (never mind if she sounded _so_ insensitive; she was a Nobody, and that's what Nobodies are: _insensitive_), she asked tiredly.

The stuffed toy--well whatever it is--ruffled its white fur and peered up at her (hard to tell, since its tiny little eyes looked as if they were sewn shut) in a very offended way. "I am a moogle,_ kupo_, and my name is Mog."

"O_kay_," Larxene sighed. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and asking flying stuffed toys for directions counted as desperate. "Mog, have you any idea where the Arcadia's house is?"

The moogle snorted (**a/n:** oh _hell_ how would that sound...?) and made a derisive noise (a slightly higher pitch than the usual kupo-ing sound it normally makes after every sentence). "_Ku_po, you're standing right in front of it."

She could feel her eyelid twitch as she looked to her left. "Oh." She looked back down at the moogle (now scratching its tiny little pompom in the cutest way--and _so_ she bit her lip again, drawing more fresh blood) and _tried_ to narrow her eyes, but it was just so damn _hard _to do.

She reached down and squeezed its tiny little pink pompom.

"_Kupo! Not the pompom!_" it screeched, before flapping its tiny wings and flying into a side street and out of sight.

Larxene giggled before immediately shutting her mouth, her teeth clamping down painfully on her bloody lip.

_This is not happening. I am _not_ giggling! I just didn't squeeze its tiny little cute pompom!_

"I give _UP!_" She said frustratedly. Pain shot through her nonexistent heart (so we suppose the pain is nonexistent, but _no_, why would she feel it in the first place?); being a Nobody sure wasn't a walk in the park, when you're feeling things you aren't supposed to feel because you can't feel in the first place, and especially when you're the Savage Nymph, for she had an _image_ to live up to.

The mahogany door to her left creaked open, snapping her out of her thoughts. She watched, frozen for the first time in her tracks, as two blondes came out on the front porch, holding hands.

"Vaan, be _sure_ to cast that perimeter spell, if something happened to you---"

Vaan (she supposed he was called Vaan, even though he looked kind of---girly) laughed sheepishly before putting a hand on the blonde girl's cheek. "Don't worry, I know you'll come saving me, anyway. Don't look like that, Ashe."

Larxene instinctively peered at the blonde girl, and opened her mouth to call her name, because the final piece was about to be played in less than ten minutes. "A--"

Her voice died in her throat as Ashe began to cry quietly. "Paladins are only expected to live up to twenty-five, you know? You're twenty-two years old, and I don't want to lose you any sooner. You _have_ to take care of yourself--"

"You're not forgetting that _you're_ a Paladin too, are you?" Vaan pulled the crying blonde into a tight embrace. "I know you'll guard my back, and I'll guard yours. We'll grow old together. I promise you that."

A drop of salty water trailed down her cheek, and Larxene shivered, scrubbing it away. It was her Other's memories acting up again; and emotion had no place in her nonexistent heart whatsoever (besides--it _was_ a nonexistent heart, so emotions would actually have a nonexistent place, wouldn't they?). She was _here_ to get Ashe and make her play in the stupid orchestra.

-_you're just jealous---_

"Ashe St. Ivalice?" She said loudly, taking a step forward.

Ashe jerked her head in her direction, eyeing her warily. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"No, you don't, but you _have_ to come with me."

"Why?" Vaan asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Cripes, the _least_ you can do is play the last piece, Ashe, I've replaced you tonight at the Knighting, and you have only five minutes to get to Disney Castle before they play Hikari!" She gritted her teeth, because Vaan had no indication of letting his girlfriend go with some random person to who-knows-where.

"And _how_ d'you suppose you two are going to make it in time?" He said suspiciously. "Gummi Ships to Disney Castle are available on appointment; and besides, it takes three hours to get there--"

"_Frickin_' _hell_, I'm talking to Ashe here!" She burst out, her kunais dropping down to her grip for the second time tonight. Both of their eyes widened; Larxene ignored them and walked up to Ashe. "_You_ are going to Disney Castle, because right now, Shelinda's pissed off at me for portalling out---_oh--_"

Ashe's blue eyes went as wide as they can humanly go.

"Whatever you two are never going to see me again anyway---_Vaan, back off_---So Ashe, I'm getting pissed off right now, so if you please" --she held out a gloved hand and summoned a portal--" Step right through, that'll take you straightaway to the castle Gardens--_get a grip, Vaan--_and go play the final piece, the violin's with Shelinda right now."

She paused for air, and pushed a very bewildered Ashe into the portal. She then stepped aside as a very _mad_ Vaan charged at her, so he went straight into the portal after Ashe. Larxene dusted off her gloves and watched the doorway vanish into the night.

_That_ went okay. _Now_ to kill Demyx.

If she hurried...she might get back in time for dinner.

**--------------------**

_"**R**eflect!"_ Roxas yelled, saving Axel from a shower of broken ceramic plates for the _third_ time. The pyro sighed in relief; he had already been hit by a flying bowl of carbonara (it _was_ okay to be hit by that, but _that_ was the bowl Vexen had been eating out of) and a salt shaker. He used a chakram to deflect another shaker headed his way.

"De_myx_, you idiot!" He hissed as soon as the blonde-haired Nobody was in earshot (which was about .10 seconds, since he was busy dodging a certain berserker's lettuce-covered claymore). "You never _learn_, don't you!"

Demyx shot him a hurt look before grinning. "No, I suppose I don't---_gah_!"

A badly aimed spear lodged itself in the marble floor right in front of his face, cutting his sentence short. "Xaldin!" he yelled before portalling to the other side of the room.

If Axel wasn't so busy dodging food and cutlery he would've sighed. Fifteen minutes ago a tiny water form had dived right into Saïx's carbonara bowl, and he was certainly _not_ happy (_such_ an understatement, for Saïx was just a few snarls short from getting berserk) with a dancing water-man in his bowl of food (and besides-it was thinning the white sauce, and Axel supposed the white sauce was Saïx's favorite). The dining table (and most of the Dining Hall) was now splattered with pasta and tiny little bits of crumbled croutons (even the ceiling--_seriously_, Lexaeus should work better on his aim), and numbers II to XIII plus one wicked (sorry, he still hasn't forgotten Naminé blackmailing him, as if she'd ever let Axel forget) memory witch were either cowering under the table or throwing food.

Well, except for Zexion, who was _still_ sitting at the table, calmly twirling his pasta around his fork, dodging the knives and food that came his way. Hell, if the world crashed around him, Zexion would take no notice and go on working on his beloved Sudoku puzzles.

"Axel, _down_!"

He ducked, someone in general _had_ screamed at him to get down, and he was keen not to get hit by any more food or weapons. He stole a glance at the chair beside him and gasped; a kunai had been driven into the wood, and the remains of a white bowl were scattered on the marble floor below it. A white-sauce spattered blonde dived down beside him.

"_Honestly_, do you guys _really_ have to turn every dinner into a food fight?" Larxene hissed at him as she threw another kunai, deflecting a wineglass that Roxas had bounced off with a well-timed Reflectga.

"Feh, I thought----" he raised an eyebrow ,"You _do_ want to be my roommate, don't you?"

"Shut it, I already played."

Axel crawled on his elbows into the sanctuary the area under the table offered, having narrowly missed a shard of glass, before turning back to Larxene. "But I think the Knighting lasts all night, and it's not even the twentieth hour!"

"Xemnas said _nothing_ about playing the entire night, didn't he?" she said triumphantly, standing up and grinning. Too bad the image was shattered when a bowl full of Caesar dressing hit her full on the face, thrown by a now very wide-eyed Marluxia.

"L-larxene?" Axel carefully peeked over the table and stared at a spluttering number Eleven. "I-i thought y-you were---"

"Obviously, I'm _not!_" she snapped, showering the brunette with kunais (all of which Marluxia had either blocked, dodged, or caught---_yes_, at least someone had better aim than Lexaeus). "_Now_ look at what you've done!"

"I-I'm _sorry_ Larxene!" he yelled, making the ruckus stop.

Xaldin stopped trying to stab Demyx (whose water forms were preparing to give number Three a shower he'll never forget) with his spears, Xigbar and Roxas froze (cutlery in both hands; sporks in Xigbar's, and chopsticks in Roxas'; why are there chopsticks? They're leftovers from the memorable Oriental dinner Xemnas himself had cooked up), Vexen and Lexaeus stared (eyes down from ceiling, where Vexen had made a spectacular bulls-eye on the lettuce number Five had thrown), Zexion _finally _looked up from his pasta, Naminé emerged from behind her marble chair (from which she was cheering on Xigbar and Roxas' cutlery duel), Luxord stopped playing Go Fish with a solitary waterform (Deck no. 286, waterproof, with colorful moving fish design on the back), Larxene stood with her mouth open, and more importantly, Saïx had stopped swinging his claymore.

Why? Never in the nonexisent history of Organization XIII had Marluxia apologized, _ever_. Not even for almost choking Demyx to death (not that he'd die, you know, he'd just fade) with one of his 'special' vines, not even for _accidentally_ handing Roxas a sunflower (knowing for a fact that Roxas had an unusual allergy to sunflowers; he'd fade of shock within a few minutes of holding one), not even for Castle Oblivion (no explanation needed for _that_).

It simply wasn't _Marluxia_ to apologize.

"What?" a now very bewildered Marluxia asked. "I--"

"To take advantage of this moment of silence," Luxord cut him off, ignoring the glare the brunette had just shot him. "I would like to propose a..._temporary_ solution."

Ten pairs of eyes and two single ones turned to stare at the gambler.

"_What_ solution?" Vexen asked wearily.

"I propose a game."

"Of _course_ he does, when did Luxord ever think of anything _else_?" Axel threw up his hands in frustration, glaring at number Ten. Larxene hissed at him to be _quiet_, a kunai hovering dangerously near his face. He fell silent; he'd rather not have any more marks on his face.

"A _drinking_ game," Luxord continued, his hands reshuffling his deck again. "Winner gets to pick another contestant to be his--(he gulped visibly, Larxene had just thrown a kunai at him as a reminder) or her-- personal slave for a month--"

"I'm _not_ joining," Xaldin crossed his arms stubbornly, all his lances pointed directly at Luxord.

"--_and_, ten thousand munny," he grinned, most probably at the stunned looks on their faces.

"10 _grand_? Where'd you get _that_ kind of munny?" Axel exclaimed, staring unbelievingly at Luxord (at least he wasn't sputtering, much like Demyx and Zexion was doing now).

"Oh, I'm a gambler, Axel...Munny comes from the most..._unusual _of places," he replied, almost leering at him gleefully.

_"_From blackmail, more like," Xigbar suddenly snickered. "You got that video of Xaldin doing aerial _ballet_, didn'tcha, dude?"

Xaldin immediately lunged at the eyepatched Nobody, but stopped when Vexen wisely told him that doing so would actually _confirm_ what Xigbar was insinuating. Axel vehemently shook his head (not only him, but Roxas, Larxene, and Demyx as well); the image of _Xaldin _in leotards was a life (non-life?) -scarring one.

"Soooo..." Luxord said brightly. "Any takers?"

**--------------------**

"_**D**on't_ say anything."

Xemnas settled back into his marble chair, resisting the urge to laugh. King Mickey had burst into the Library, looking like he had actually _crawled_ all the way from the Audience Hall. Meaning, the Plan had failed. But he hadn't heard screaming or any of the other things that would indicate that the two Wielders had dropped dead; _that_ was a relief, he can't reclaim Kingdom Hearts with its Key dead.

The King leant the Dark Keyblade on a shelf and was now pawing frantically through books (from only the third shelf from the floor, 'cos that's the only scope of his reach), scanning one this moment, and then throwing the rest haphazardly behind him.

Xemnas' eyes narrowed. He ducked and narrowly avoided a thick hardbound volume that came flying (_Hundred Acre Wood_--the fact that the boy looked familiar was eerie, but the fact that the _bear_ was familiar was downright terrifying). "I assume then I don't have to say_ I told you so"_ he snickered, "Your... Highness."

"You just did, Xemnas," the King replied in the most irate voice, he supposed, that a mouse could muster (which didn't sound very irritated).

He wisely kept silent, he had long manipulated others to know that _the_ best way to get information out of people was to make them think you weren't interested in what they had to say. Soon enough, Mickey stopped dismantling the neatly catalogued arrangement of books and sat down on a stray pile of books (thus adding about five inches to his height). "One...one of the Princesses' touch has been tainted by darkness---"

Xemnas vaguely heard the King say something else, but he was too stunned by Mickey's first statement to comprehend what. He leant forward, letting his hood fall back.

"Wait. A Princess of Heart does _not_ have darkness in her heart." He _should_ know, since his Other and Ansem (he grimaced again) _had_ experimented on hearts before, and _they_ had come across a most unusual one; a very unstable heart belonging to an auburn-haired child living in Radiant Garden. Said heart was completely free of darkness, and would _not_ accept it. They had dubbed the child a 'Princess of Heart', and found out that there are legends of six others. Xehanort then did a little experiment: he sent the child away from Radiant Garden, willing her to land where she was fated to go, and if she died, that was _not_ his problem.

Such was the lengths Xehanort would go to in pursuit of science. And Xemnas thought Vexen was crazy enough.

"Apparently, she does. Nobody is immune to darkness," King Mickey's voice snapped him out of his trip down his (dark, dreary, and Sea-salt ice cream infested) memory lane. "Something must have happened for darkness to get a grip on a Princesses' heart."

A thought (induced by the dramatic scene he had witnessed the night before) occured to him. "Which Princess are we talking about here?"

"The seventh one."

Xemnas worked his expression into a very patronising one; the Key had _very_ deep connections with _that_ Princess, and a single letter had (judging from the hysterical sobs Naminé was emitting, and the yells Roxas had screamed) shorn those connections like one of Larxene's kunais through Axel's hair (inspired by a true-to-nonlife-scene, he _had_ to keep those two away from each other for at least a month). "I think you might have had a hand in this, King Mickey, considering that it was _you_ who sent a certain letter."

The King's (we _should_ say eyebrows, but seeing that no mouse has eyebrows, we'll just say it's his forehead) forehead furrowed. "And so?"

Xemnas sighed; he remembered Roxas muttering something about having hearts and breaking them, and not even caring whatever happened...and hell _yeah_, he remembered something else, this time from Xehanort's memory, something that made the statement _for the greater good_ painfully real. Ansem _had_ once forced one of his own faithful followers to send away his _own_ daughter from Radiant Garden, because _she_ was a sorceress. What was her name again---? He shook his head and stared at the King.

"You have even _less_ feelings than a Nobody."

"Nobodies _don't_ have feelings."

"Exactly my point," he said, leaning back in his chair and interlacing his fingers, ignoring the murderous gaze the King was currently giving him, as if he was just considering taking out his Keyblade and stabbing him with it (not that Mickey would succeed; Xemnas would just jump on the table where the King couldn't reach him).

"You are treading in dangerous waters, Xemnas."

"I am just telling the truth."

"I don't have time for this!" The King suddenly burst out, his voice coming out in a sort of high-pitched squeak. "I _need_ a way to reverse the binding right _now!_"

Xemnas raised an eyebrow. _What_ exactly, other than the two Wielders dying, would elicit such a response from the normally calm Overseer of Worlds? "Tell me what the Keyblade did, then."

"It has absolutely no effect on Riku; his heart has withstood much more difficult calls to darkness, and he has even taken _control_ of the darkness inside him. But on Sora...," he shivered slightly but visibly, "You _should've_ come forward earlier, Xemnas. I would've figured out another way..."

He leant forward slightly in his chair. " What?"

"I would've known that Sora and Roxas had already unmerged--"

"_Roxas_?" (he almost exclaimed, but he was the _Superior_, and he never had outbursts, even when confronted with two very _mad_ Keywielders)he asked unbelievingly. "What does Roxas have to do with this?"

King Mickey stared at him for a full minute before answering, as if _this_ was the most obvious thing in the world. "Roxas _is_ half of Sora. He controls light; it was _him_ who controls the unbelievable darkness in Sora's heart. Did you really think Ansem would sacrifice Roxas only for revenge?"

Xemnas made a sputtering noise, but King Mickey ignored him and continued speaking, apparently enjoying the stunned look that he had on."Roxas wasn't only to restore Sora's memories, but also to act as a safeguard! Sora's most powerful Form, which brings down the chances of him Driving into Antiform accidentally, is powered by _Roxas_; the Final Form is a testament to _Roxas_' control! "

"The brightest of flames cast the darkest of shadows..."he trailed off, momentatily left speechless by this piece of information. So _that_ was Roxas' role. He berated himself for not thinking of it sooner.

Mickey nodded. "The Key's heart acts as a balance between the colossal darkness and blinding light of Kingdom Hearts, and to control those, you need an _exceptionally _strong heart."

"Well then,I am confident that somebody with the boy's iron will _can _stand anything." It _was_ true, if there ever was a stubborn being in existence, it would be the spiky-haired brunette Wielder.

"I am, too."

He could feel his eyelid twitch rapidly; if he wasn't the Superior, he would roll his eyes. "So why are you so intent on finding a reversal for the binding? If Riku's heart can stand unscathed, how much more Sora's?"

"Kairi's tainted touch somehow _twisted _the light and---"

"Yes?"

"The darkness in Sora's heart has been...shall we say, _asleep_. Ever since Roxas has awoken, however, he has no knowledge that _he_ is supposed to regulate the incredible dark side of Sora's heart. Once they merged again, the control returned, but not absolutely. His Antiform still finds ways to show itself."

Xemnas' gloved hands itched to place themselves aroung the King's neck. Do _all_ leaders have to ramble on like this? (And so another random thought occurred to him, making him realize that he himself was _actually_ a prime example, but, as usual, he had a reputation to defend, so he just ignored the thought). "The point, Majesty, the point."

Mickey sighed and ignored him, pressing on. "Now that Sora has once again unmerged with Roxas, his Antiform once again struggles to break free. Fortunately, Sora's will is strong enough to hold it back. But tonight, with the tainted Keyblade..."

"It _is_ already tainted, you idiotic mouse!" He muttered under his breath, careful not to let the King hear (who knows what a King could do if insulted). He wanted to scream right in his face that it was _King Mickey's_ fault that the Knighting had failed, it was _his_ idea to go with the stupid Plan in the first place. Noticing the King staring at him (he supposed he was making all those 'funny little grimaces'--supplied eloquently by Roxas and Axel--again), he waved his hand and motioned for him to go on.

The King stumbled on his words, and made Xemnas' patience wear impossibly thin. "R-reversal. The darkness in Sora's heart, his Antiform... The Keyblade was supposed to bind. With Kairi's touch--"

"For the love of the Creator, King Mickey, the damn _point."_

King Mickey, for some reason, put on a terrified face. Xemnas' throat ran dry, and he suddenly regretted pressuring the mouse to go faster. The King cleared his throat and spoke a single sentence that most certainly will land in the _Never Forget_ area of his memories.

"Tonight, I have set Sora's Antiform _free_."

**--------------------**

"**W**hy you little---"

"_hic_ It was _hic_ you who started insulting me in the _hic_ first place _hic_..."Naminé trailed off, her cerulean eyes unfocused, her face sprinkled liberally with pink. She hiccuped again; sporadic breathing interruptions released in a cute sort of way.

_What?_ Roxas mentally kicked himself. He threw a glare at Luxord, who was now shuffling his cards contentedly.

"_Luxord!"_ he hissed at the gambler (who threw him the most innocent look a Nobody could possibly manage; Luxord was good at that). "_You're going to pay for this!_"

"_hic_ Roxie_ hic_ why're you yellin' at _hic_ Luxord _hic_--"

He felt like banging his head on the table but decided against it; since Larxene was currently doing just _that_.

"Larxene, if you would _please_ stop that," Axel said sharply. The blonde looked up at him, hiccuped twice, before downing the contents of the shotglass in front of her in one swallow. The gambler, looking quite pleased with himself, immediately refilled it.

"She ain't gonna win _hic_ this round, no she won't," Larxene threw a drunken glare at Naminé, who deflected it right back. They both drank at the same time again, setting down their glasses with a loud _clunk_ on the marble table.

Luxord _did_ have many takers, obviously, the chance to get a fellow Organization member as a slave for a month _had_ peaked their curiosity (Saïx eyed Demyx and grinned toothily in a very disturbing way). Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, and Lexaeus had all declined to join, seeing that they didn't need some drinking game to _make_ lower digits their slaves. And besides, none of them wanted to see how Vexen looked like _drunk_. So the four older members sat at the front end of the table, watching them amusedly. Lexaeus _had_ volunteered to take down anyone who had too much to drink, he did so with a knowing grin on his face (who knows why there is said grin in his face---and who _wants_ to know?).

What Roxas didn't know before joining---they were drinking from Luxord's special secret whiskey stash, which (as the gambler had lovingly described) wasn't actually pure whiskey, but rather a more potent mix of whiskey, rum, a generous splash of vodka, a bit of orange juice, and a part of sparkling white wine. Hard as it was to believe, it was actually some kind of...addictive, but the heat that had rushed up Roxas' face after the first two shots made him think otherwise. Whatever. He _was_ Thirteen, so technically, it would be _so_ much easy to make him do things, because of the stupid seniority thing.

It really _was_ simple; whoever downs the most shots, wins. But nothing is ever _simple_ in Organization XIII.

Surprisingly, Saïx was the first to bow out of the game, saying that no matter how much he _wanted_ to get Demyx as his slave (said Nobody's eyes widened in horror and revulsion at the mere thought), he was one who had...erm... very _violent_ tendencies whenever he gets too much of a good thing, and he'd really rather no more bloodshed, because his cloak's already too much bloodstained as it is. He _still_ leered at Demyx for a good hour, however, before portalling out to the Addled Impasse.

Roxas was the next one. He had no intention of getting drunk, because from what he's seen from Luxord, when you're drunk, you do things that you will most certainly regret for the rest of your life---or nonexistence, as the case may be. Besides, at the rate Naminé was drinking, he was getting worried about the massive hangover she would inevitably have the next morning.

_Why_ did Naminé join? He had no idea; maybe it had something to do with the glance that she had exchanged with Larxene earlier, and they were _sober_ back then. He shook his head slowly, girls were something he could never understand.

"Another one! Namie you're goin' down," Larxene held out another shotglass, and Luxord happily obliged.

"Oh _hic_ no you _hic_ don't," the addressed blonde hiccuped. "Me _hic_ too---"

Roxas groaned, he _had_ tried getting Naminé to stop at least twenty shots earlier, but she was even more stubborn than a Wielder, and _that_ was saying something.

Demyx had stopped drinking after his eleventh shot. Roxas suspected that Demyx _really_ had no intention of drinking himself silly, but he only wanted to prove to the four older members that _yes_, he wasn't a kid anymore, and _no_, whatever happens, he will _not_ be Saïx's personal slave. He somehow got carried away (self-control was something of an issue with him) and a horde of concerned waterforms had to splash him with cold water to bring him back to his senses (for a few minutes anyway--then Axel had set his hood on fire, making the waterforms literally flood poor number Nine with ice water). Demyx had then taken to just sitting forlornly in his marble chair, fingers over his Sitar, and striking a wavering chord every ten minutes or so.

Axel and Marluxia had both stopped drinking after their fifteenth shots, and they did so glaring at each other. _They_ didn't get drunk like Demyx (_twang_ went his Sitar just now, and the two girls downed their twenty-fifth shot), and Roxas had a suspicion that the two _had_ experience of nights like this (either that, or they both had extremely high tolerance levels of alcohol---or maybe alcohol had no effect on them in the first place). The glare that they shot each other (Axel usually reserved that glare for a certain berserker) and the fact that they had backed out at the same time had Roxas puzzled; the two were the most competitive pair he had ever seen.

"Larx, c'mon, get a hold of yourself," Across the table Marluxia was coaxing, trying to pull the shotglass out of the blonde's grip. For some reason the pyro shot the brunette a glare before joining a hopeless cause.

"Lar_xene_, stop drinking already---Roxas, stop staring, you _should_ get _Naminé_ to stop drinking, she's only fifteen, for crying out loud--"

Roxas pouted at his best friend before turning his attention on the other blonde sitting beside him. "Nam... too much alcohol is bad for your health---"

"Rox _hic_ tell me _hic_ how exactly _hic_ am I goin' to _hic_ get sick when I'm _hic_ not even _hic_ alive," Naminé said forlornly, tracing her shotglass' rim with a precision unusual to those as drunk as she is right now. Her words stung Roxas; she _had_ a point there---how could they get sick if they weren't even alive, they were just 'existing', and--

His brows furrowed again. "You're not alive, but you sure are drunk."

"Whaddya care _hic_ go away _hic_ _hic_ I won't let _hic_ Larxy beat _hic_ me---"

Zexion was now sleeping contentedly, he had drunk quietly through twenty-one shots without much fanfare before falling asleep. At first they (well, mostly numbers Two to Five) had teased him about not being able to handle his liquor, since _he_ was the youngest of the Upper Six (as they called it, Xehanort's little posse), but they had to eat their words when he wordlessly downed ten shots one after another, only pausing after the fifth for some air. After the eleventh, however, when Axel and Marluxia had started glaring at each other, and when Naminé had begun hiccuping, Zexion actually _laughed_ at Naminé's drunken expression. Roxas heard Xigbar whisper to Luxord that they _should_ get Zexion drunk more often, because being emotionless was certainly bad for your health---or nonhealth, as they case may be.

"Na_miné_, you may not be alive, but I don't want you to have a huge hangover tomorrow," Roxas pleaded as she drank her twenty-eighth shot.

"But _hic_ I want_ hic_ to win, I want _hic_ to get _hic_ you as _hic_ my slave for _hic_ a month."

Roxas' eyes widened. She wanted _him_ to ber her slave? "What did I actually _do_ this time to deserve _that_?" he asked.

"Nothin' _hic_ I just want you because _hic_ you're _hic_ I dunno _hic _maybe you're _hic_ just so cute when _hic_ you're annoyed and _hic_ b'coz _hic_ I like _hic_ you..." She abruptly stopped and buried her face in her arms, tipping her shotglass over. He looked up; Larxene had thrown her shotglass across the room at exactly the same time as Naminé had stopped, and both Axel and Marluxia were now eyeing her concernedly.

"That settles it then," Luxord said, clapping his hands. "Nobody, uh, I mean, no-one wins!"

"I've got the funniest feeling that Luxord just set us up," Marluxia murmured, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the gambler, who was now smiling widely and saying something to number Two. Xigbar's only visible eye now was eyeing Luxord malevolently.

"Axel, Roxas," Lexaeus boomed out, startling Roxas," I suggest you two bring the ladies back to their rooms and let them sleep---no excuses, Axel, Larxene _is _your roommate, after all (the pyro was now staring murderously at Lexaeus)---I think they've had enough to drink for the rest of their lives."

For no apparent reason Xaldin, Vexen, Luxord and him burst out in laughter.

Axel got to his feet, a resigned expression on his face. "I _hate_ you Nobodies---Larxene, c'mon," he shook the blonde roughly by the shoulder. Either Larxene ignored him, or was just too preoccupied with staring drunkenly at Marluxia (either him---or his hair) to notice.

Marluxia sighed. "Larxene, for your own good, you'd better go to sleep," he said gently, helping her up from her chair and handing her to Axel.

"M-Marly...? Okay..." she slurred before leaning heavily on a very surprised Axel, clutching the front of his coat for support. "Thanks Marly---"

"Try anything funny, and your head comes off," the brunette suddenly hissed at the pyro. With that he spun on his heels and portalled away. Roxas stared at the spot where Marluxia had portalled out; if he hadn't known better, he'd say that Marluxia actually _liked_ Larxene, and from the looks of it, was _jealous_ of Axel.

Wait. It was the only plausible reason.

"Ro_xas_, you better go and take care of Naminé," Axel said loudly, snapping him out of his thoughts. Roxas stared; if his hunches were right, Larxene was stuck in a very unfortunate...what was that term--? _Love triangle_. Ew.

"Oh yeah, yeah, go on--"

And with a drunken Larxene staring up at him and clinging onto his coat like one of the leaves of lettuce to the ceiling, Axel portalled out.

"C'mon, Xigbar," Luxord motioned to the eyepatched number Two, "We'd better go..._check_ that they don't do anything funny---"

"Yeah, take a camera," Xaldin snickered. "Send copies to me, Lux. Idiotic boy, thinking he can blackmail me---"

Luxord, dragging a strangely reluctant Xigbar with him, portalled out to, Roxas supposed, Axel's room.

"You _do_ remember you still have to _take care of Naminé_, don't you?" Demyx suddenly asked, grinning at the Look Roxas shot him. "She's drunk, Rox, you can--"

Roxas blushed furiously as he helped Naminé to her feet, one hand on her waist, and the other holding her hand over his shoulder. "You pervert, I'd never do anything like _that_!"

Ignoring Demyx's high-pitched laughing fit he opened the Corridors and stepped into his and Naminé's room.

**---------------------**

"**L**arxene, you can let go of me now."

"Nuh-uh," the blonde shook her head stubbornly, her bright blue eyes boring into his own. Axel suddenly felt his cheeks heat up as he remembered Marluxia's warning.

_Try anything funny, and your head comes off._

He was _not_ about to try anything funny, not with a drunken Larxene. The thought sent shivers up his spine. (What _kind_ of shivers? That was another thing altogether, one that Axel had no idea what, and one that he'd really rather not know)

"Get _off_."

His nonexistent heart started pounding a _lot_ faster as Larxene stared up at him imploringly. _Imploringly_? Alcohol _had_ gotten rid of her violent streak, and Axel thought that he _liked_ Larxene a lot more when she was in a peaceful disposition.

Larxene suddenly released her deathgrip on the front of his coat and latched her arms around his waist instead.

She certainly _was_ drunk, and Axel felt a little...disappointment, because for some reason, he'd really like Larxene hugging him when she was _sober_. But she was drunk, and that was _it_, she'd probably try to kill him in the morning for not trying to stop her from drinking too much.

"Axel..." She mumbled, her voice muffled in his coat. "Don't leave me alone here...please?" Her eyes peered up at him again, and they were growing shinier by the minute with unshed tears.

-_really she's just drunk as hell-_

_"_I never want to be alone ever---not since---"

"Larx," he said firmly, prying her off him. "You're drunk, and I don't appreciate you yelling at me in the morning for hearing things that you shouldn't be saying. If you talk any more, we'll both regret this." He swallowed, there was that lump in his throat that he can't get down.

"I--I--but I want to say this!" she burst out. "I've stood a lot more alcohol before, and for your information, I can still think straight! I only pretended to get drunk so that Naminé would get _really_ drunk, so that her and Roxas would just get _close_ together! My Other's acting up again, and her memories are telling me what to damn _do_! I _hate_ her for doing it! I _hate everything because I can't do anything about it because I'm just a _Nobody!_"_

"You _are_ drunk," Axel said warily, stepping back and sitting on his bed on the other side of the white room. "Get some sleep, I'll stop listening to whatever you have to say so that you won't regret saying anything."

Larxene stared at him, her mouth working but no words coming out.

-_drunk as hell, she is_-

"So you think I'm drunk..." she backed away and collapsed on her bed. "Maybe I _am_ drunk, because I really thought you'd listen to me..."

From his vantage point, he could swear Larxene was _crying_.

"You're lucky," her voice came out and floated across the room to him. "You have Roxas for a best friend..."

"Shut up and go to sleep."

Something that sounded suspiciously like a sob echoed off the walls. Larxene shifted so that she was facing the wall, and Axel stared at the back of her head.

-_ah when you're drunk the things that you do-_

The fifteen shots were getting to him, and his head was starting to hurt in anticipation of whatever Larxene would do to him tomorrow morning (technically, later, since it was already past midnight, as proclaimed by the luminous wall clock he had stolen from Space Paranoids). He closed his eyes and let sleep come.

"Y'know, _you _make me feel like I have a heart. I just don't know how to show it."

His eyes snapped open. Larxene had mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like-- "What?"

"Oh, go to sleep, Axel," she said, her voice wavering. "I'm sure you won't care anyway."

He sat up. "What did you say?"

"You won't care even if I did. Shut up then."

He crossed the room and stood beside her bed. He bent over and peered at Larxene's face. Teary blues met wide teals as he saw that Larxene was indeed, crying, and that tears were _still_ pouring down her face and soaking her pillow.

"I'm not crying, because I can't even _feel_," she croaked ", So just go back to sleep and leave me alone."

-_she's just drunk, she'll try to kill you in the morning-_

_"_L-Larxene..."

"Go _away_. I'm drunk as hell, leave me alone."

He sat down on the edge of her bed and stared at her, half expecting a kunai to come his way. Larxene instead resolutely avoided his gaze. "I'm asleep now, Axel, _happy_?" she sobbed, burying her face in her tear-soaked pillow. "Don't mind me, I'm just a drunken pissed off girl with absolutely no emotions whatsoever..."

Without thinking, Axel grabbed her roughly by the shoudlers, leant forward and kissed her. Her tears felt warm against his skin.

**--------------------**

**"A**ha!" Luxord murmured gleefully, peering around the open door. "Hand it over, Xiggy!"

Xigbar cursed fluently under his breath as he handed the gambler two stacks of ten thousand munny each.

"I told you I could get them to kiss!"

"Shut up."

Luxord turned to face him, rubbing his hands thoughtfully. "So... wanna bet again?"

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**O**_kay_. Fluffiness and drama. Uhm...-shivers-

Review replies! Yay!

**Chyio-Chan** I am _such_ an evil person. Yes, I am. -bares fangs-

**hikari-aozora **Don't worry about the Trinity one, I'm already working on it. Haha. X3

**Skitty 2004** Thanks for pointing that out, yeah. It's Castle That Never Was, not Castle Oblivion, natch. So sorry for the huge typo.

**darkdude71 **I know. I know. XD

**Namine's Heart **It _is_ a Nobody, isn't it?

**Ellie 0223** Okay. Let me explain then. Kairi loves Sora, that's a known fact. _But_ she can't love him because he can't get too attached to anybody because he has to go around sealing Keyholes and stuff. _And_ she knows that Riku has a crush on her, so what the heck, she falls back on Riku, since she can't love Sora. Besides, she kinda hates Sora now, because he chose his duty over her love. -o-.

**Teh Pwnful Kiwi** That's Demyx's job, you know. To annoy people. He's stereotyped that way.

Question! What _exactly_ is the color of Marluxia's hair anyway? Most of the times people refer to him as a brunette, but his hair looks kinda pink to me...

Quote for Chapter 10:

_"What the hell have you done!"_

Sure, given Organization XIII's violent disposition, it's anyone's guess...

Read, review, want to flame me, go ahead! And if any of you guys have questions about the storyline, feel free to ask. Just no 'Who's gonna die?', okay...?


	10. Too Late

**A/N: **Stumped on the Trinity chapter right now, so I've decided to do this one first. Actually, I'm still worked up on Akuroku fics right now... they are _so_ damn cute! _But_ Namixas is _way_ more cuter. _Gotta_ get the happiness out of my system... Insane amounts of fluffiness ahead. You have been warned.

Want happy thoughts? Read this branch. Want to get depressed? Read the Trinity branch (which, by the way, is getting posted a bit later).

**Disclaimer:**No matter how hard I wish for it, no dice. Kingdom Hearts still doesn't belong to me.

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**--------------------**

**X: T**oo **L**_at_**e**

**--------------------**

**N**aminé giggled inanely. Again. _How_ she managed to giggle and hiccup at the same time, Roxas had no idea.

"You _will_ get one hell of a hangover when you wake up." Roxas stated as he shifted her hand over her shoulder and practically (there's the _practically_ because we don't want to think of him as anything other than a gentleman, don't we?) threw her into her bed. Naminé sure was different when drunk, he could confirm that.

"_hic_ Don't worry _hic_ I won't _hic_ bite _hic_ you--"

He shook his head as he sat on his bed on the opposite side of the room. Apparently, he had very low tolerance for alcohol in general, because right now, his head felt like it had been caught in one of Xaldin's tornadoes, then in one of Marluxia's Swirling-Pink-Blizzards-of-Death (which reminds him--he still has to kill Demyx later for giving his mind--o_kay_.). Or maybe Luxord had spiked his shotglass with a bit more vodka. The second option sounded better.

"Go to sleep," he said, still staring at the blonde girl as she fumbled for her blanket. Fumbling for a six-by-five white sheet of wool was a bad sign--she really _was_ drunk. He sighed and crossed the room, intent on helping Naminé go to sleep (because, really, the hiccups were getting irritating).

"Heehee _hic_ tucking me _hic_ in! You're just _hic_ like a _hic_ mom!" She giggled as Roxas drew up her blankets to her chin. He resisted the urge to kiss her on the forehead. _DiZ...you are so lucky you're already dead._

"Really. Those hiccups _have_ to go."

She pouted at him. "_hic_ Make _hic_ them go _hic_ away then."

His eyebrows furrowed together. Maybe his forehead was already permanently creased from all that furrowing his eyebrows did. "Uh," he paused, kneeling down beside her bed. He had never actually _had_ hiccups before, so he had never bothered to find out how to stop them.

_I hate Luxord right now._

She poked him in the forehead and giggled. Funny how thirty shots of vodka can turn a perfectly mature fifteen-year-old into a horrible imitation of a furiously blushing five-year old. With hiccups.

"_hic_!" She turned her head to face him, and big, blue, _hauntingly_ blue eyes stared at him.

"Agh. Nam, I have no idea how to get rid of your stupid--"

His eyes widened as _her_ eyes came closer. A lot closer. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and _that_ was how Roxas knew that she was really dead drunk.

Never, in her right mind, would she actually _kiss_ him.

Right?

Roxas would've paused to think about that (and furrowed his eyebrows even more in the process, really, he'd get early wrinkles that way), about how this was all _wrong_, about borrowing Sora's feelings about Kairi, about Lexaeus' secret white sauce recipe, and about Nobody life in general, but right now, his mind was kind of blank. Except for the feeling of Naminé's lips pressed against his.

Hm. Maybe he wouldn't have to kill Luxord after all.

--------------------

**"A**nd you let him out of your _sight!_?" Xemnas roared (and in the process releasing copious amounts of spit which should've been relief to his parched throat), standing up so quickly that the marble chair almost tipped over. He watched the King through narrowed eyes as the mouse slowly backed away. Height _really_ was an advantage.

"Sora can hold out--at least until the guests leave the Castle, then I'd--"

"King _Mickey!_ Do you _know_ the power of darkness?"

Mickey stared at him with a mixture of bewilderment and anger. "I sure do."

Ignoring the twitching of his fingers (not to mention his right eyelid, it always had the unfortunate liking to twitch when he was stressed out), Xemnas summoned his lightsabers (or as Demyx terms it, Amazingly-Red-Glowsticks-Of-Superiority-And-Death), gripping them tightly. Dealing with a Keyblade Master was hard enough, but dealing with his Heartless on the loose? He had _not_ expected the Plan to go horribly wrong like this. Sparkling light brought him back to reality as the King summoned his Reverse Keyblade, possibly because of his sabers.

He glared at the King. "We need to find him. _Now._"

"Right," he replied tersely. "You do _not_ kill him when you find him, though."

"I am not insane enough to kill our only chance of capturing Kingdom Hearts."

The King's mouth had set itself into a thin line of disapproval. Xemnas cut him off before he could launch into another tirade about the dangers of toying with light and darkness, because right now, there's a very dangerous Wielder out there.

Not that he cared for the people he might come across, hell, Antiform could take all their hearts for easier retrieval. He feared for Sora's safety, what good was all the Heartless when there was no-one to release their pretty (not to mention pink and sparkly) hearts?

"We search. We meet here."

With that, gripping his sabers at the ready, he stepped into the Corridors and out of sight.

--------------------

"**O**h, hell _no_. I just did _not_ do that." Axel backed away, horrified at what he had done.

He. Kissed. Larxene.

The blonde stared up at him, eyes half-closed (with sleepiness, or with pleasure, or with just plain dizziness from the alcohol, or with-- let's not speculate, Axel's mind is pretty chaotic right now). Her mouth was still slightly open.

"Sorry!" he blurted out, but he knew that no amount of apology would prevent Larxene from sticking him full of kunais when her hangover was over and done with. Bewildered, he backed away slowly until the back of his black-coated knees hit the side of his bed, and he sat slowly. Slowly was the key, because sudden noises might just wake Larxene up from her alcohol-induced stupor, and he might not live (or exist, yes, exist) until morning. He swallowed painfully.

Larxene finally moved, more like twitched, really.

His fingers itched to summon his chakrams; even in the wee hours of the morning he had learned to always be on the lookout for attacks.

Especially from thunder-headed ones.

_-who was amazing at french-kissing-_

He banged his head a few times into his pillow (never mind that the intended effect of shocking pain had gone--but using the wall would fall under "Sudden Obnoxious Noise' category, and that is something he'd rather not do), trying to get that thought (of Larxene making those funny little noi--maybe banging his head into the wall sounded like a good idea after all) out of his head and possibly, out of the window.

-_for a priestess she sure is good at kiss--_

He winced as he bit his lip pretty badly, judging from the coppery taste of blood in his mouth. He gingerly wiped away the offending red liquid with his trusty glove (never mind wherever it had been, later he'll throw both gloves with Demyx's load of laundry). Odd. As far as he could feel, his lips had no wound whatsoever. So where the hell did that blood come from? Where was the last--

Axel's eyes suddenly popped open and he sat up. "Larx_ene_!"

"Mmah?" She glanced at him, eyes still half-closed and disposition still very inebriated. Axel was very thankful for the alcohol overdose at this point; it kept her usually violent temperament under control, thusly preventing him from suffering a very painful death by kunais.

-_woah! look! her lips so red even under this moonlight-_

"Your--" he started awkwardly. "Your lip--I think it's bleeding."

"Uhhuh. I knew that," she said, apparently licking her lips to get rid of the blood, wincing (very audibly, Axel might say, since the distance between their beds was about six feet) as she did.

Axel stared at her. A thought hit him (with the combined force of Saïx's claymore and one of Roxas' marble-breaking tackles) as he observed Larxene, and he choked on his spit (which was en route to his dry throat to replenish whatever quantities lost to the blonde, until it decided to take a shortcut through his lungs).

Lips + Tongue + Pressure Kiss.

-_don't forget flexibility! Flexibility is all that matters! hahahah-_

_Bleeding _wounded lips + Tongue + Pressure Pain.

Sighing, Axel stood up and made his way to number Twelve's side once again, now trying to keep his hormones in check. He supposed he hadn't tasted the blood since her lips were all smushed into his. Larxene stared up at him, blood all gone from the one-inch (surprisingly teeth-shaped) gash on her lower lip, dried tears streaking her cheeks. At least she wasn't crying now.

-_uh, since when didja care about Larx's feelings?--_

"I'm sorry if I hurt you." His throat threatened an immediate roadblock as his voice cracked (actually crumbled like one of his failed cookie creations) on the word 'you'. His inner voice was protesting vehemently. His rational side was trying to get it to shut up; since when did he have an inner voice, anyway?

She closed her eyes as her mouth curved into a slight smile. "You forget. Pain is my specialty. It doesn't bother me to get paid back."

"Oh." Relief flooded Axel's mind and seemed to drown his Inner Voice, washing away all traces of Larxene-induced thoughts. He smirked, returning to his normal, pyromaniac, annoying self. "You are such a sadist."

"Hmmmah--"

His mouth involuntarily curled into a smile of his own as he saw Larxene had already fallen asleep, her chest rising and falling with steady, rhythmic breaths.

-_she looks so pretty and beautiful and peaceful when she's sleeping she's like an angel-_

As he collapsed on his bed (didn't bother to pull up the blanket; that's how he was, he never felt the need for them blankets; he's a _pyro_, for crying out loud) he decided that the first thing he'll do in the morning was ask Roxas advice on how to get rid of voices stuck in his head.

-_love? do you love? no you don't it can't be love you're just remembering...-_

He shut his eyes and finally lost himself to the aftereffects of fifteen shots of hard alcohol, not really anticipating the massive hangover Larxene was bound to have when they woke up.

--------------------

"**K**ing _Mickey_ where are you _searching?_" Xemnas hissed, seeing the King approach. He _had_ portalled to almost every likely area that the brunette Wielder would likely end up. Larxene was nowhere in sight; where _was _she when he needed her to actually _do_ something, not play in the Orchestra or--- Most likely, Larxene would _not_ be moving out of Axel's room. In fact, he's thinking that he should confine her there (although he may end up with a very pissed off blonde and a dead redhead).

He had just looked over his shoulder and his eyebrows had still not returned from their furrowed position. As far as he knew, shadows did not _move_ in Disney Castle. Mickey cleared his throat.

"I have already done a sweep of the main Castle---"

He leaned down and saw the King recoil slightly. "Send more _men_, Majesty."

"You know I can't do that!" he said through gritted teeth (and Xemnas certainly did _not_ like the way the grip on his Keyblade tightened), returning his glower. "The Court will _kill_ me!"

Well, it was _his_ fault that they had a torn Wielder on the loose. He _told_ him not to try getting rid of darkness, yes he did. "As opposed to what they'll do when they see Sora _dead_."

"Silence!" The King bellowed, jabbing the Keyblade in his direction, looking positively fed up. "You do _not_ talk to me that way!"

Xemnas, stunned, let the King push past him and watched him sprint farther down the corridor. He portalled out, determined to get wherever the King was going first, because he had the nastiest feeling that the shadows in _these_ corridors had a capital S. He stepped out into the Courtyard, and saw something he was _definitely_ not going to forget.

--------------------

"**M**mmhmm," Naminé murmured happily as Roxas abruptly broke the kiss off. She stared at him with happy interest as his eyebrows furrowed. In fact, if the Castle crashed down around them, she'd be watching it crumble happily. Such were the wonders of getting drunk. Hm. Maybe the fact that she had just kissed Roxas, and that he had kissed her back, added to the

"Nam," he said in a shocked voice. "You're hot!"

"I suppose I am," she slurred, giggling again at the wave of scarlet that rushed up his face. She seemed to be spending half her breaths giggling tonight.

"Erh, no, I don't mean, uh, I mean, you _are_ hot, I mean--- you're burning hot!" he stammered, pulling off his gloves and feeling her forehead. Surprisingly, she thought it was Roxas' hand that felt ice-cold. She hissed at the contact.

"You have a fever."

"I feel perfectly fine," she said, although the burning sensation in her eyelids said otherwise (as in Naminé-don't-be-so-stupidly-stubborn-you-have-a-killer-fever). She beamed up at him, noticing in her inebriated state that spasmodic jerking of her torso no longer punctuated her every syllable. "My hiccups are gone!"

Roxas studied her intently, the back of his hand occasionally touching her forehead and feeling under her chin. "Uh, okay, your hiccups are gone, but with the body temp you have right now, you're supposed to be on fire. No more drinking contests for you," he said thoughtfully, leaning forward on his arms.

"Awww---Roxie, it was so much fun---ahh." She groaned, ceiling (decorated with the Nobody symbol, of course, Xemnas had seen to that, she suspected that if he hadn't been a Nobody he'd either be a fashion designer, interior designer, or most likely a politician; he had the innate ability to dream up grand flawless schemes and effortlessly screw them up(**a/n **do **_not_** sue me; you shall get nothing)) spinning faster than usual.

"Nam!" he exclaimed, alarm evident in his voice.

"I can't get sick, I'm not even _alive_," she whined, her toes curling under the white blanket as her stomach did another involuntary backflip.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Whatever, but as your roomate and best _friend_ (was it just her, or did Roxas grimace at that?), not to mention the target of your hangover later, I _have_ to do something--" He took her ice-cold hand into his warm ones (somehow, Naminé's mind had twisted the temperature around in impossible ways--or maybe the side of her reasoning undrenched by alcohol took control) "_Curaga._"

She stiffened and clutched at her blankets as the spell settled its cool embrace over her; making her vision a little more clearer and her head pound a little less harder.

"T-Thanks," she said, voice a little less slurred this time. "Uh--"

"_Curaga._"

"No, really, Roxas-"

"_Curaga._"

Her head was starting to reboot itself; right now, it felt like it had just gotten out of very turbulent waters. Her stomach had started to calm down too; it had now settled for bending backwards instead of backflips. More importantly, she didn't feel the urge to slur her words together.

"You still look sick," he panted slightly from casting the most powerful healing spell he could (supposedly---unless he became a White Mage without her knowledge) use three times in a row. And--"_Curaga._"

Her mind had decided to think coherent thoughts (such as _what the HELL were you thinking! Kissing Roxas!_ and _darn he's a good kisser _and_ stop thinking about him! _and many other rational things, all of which her mind had vehemently denied having any connection to Roxas himself) as the fourth spell took effect. Her toes relaxed and her fingers released the blankets held in a deathgrip.

"_Curaga_."

"Roxas, you idiot," she breathed, all traces and aftereffects of too much alcohol gone from her system (note to self (a)never, _ever_, trust Luxord and his games ever again, especially when it involved large quantities of his secret (patented) whiskey stash, and (b) do some damage control in the morning). The blonde kneeling beside her bed looked drained; he was panting just like the way he always did after a training session with Axel and Larxene. Which not only sounded bad, but also looked bad. A ribbon of sweat dripped down the side of his head.

"Go to sleep, Naminé. You need some rest," he said stoically, looking as if his elbow was the only thing keeping him from collapsing into her side of bed.

"Mhmm. _You_ should talk," she said softly, grateful for the healing spells.

"You need rest, I'm telling you. It's past midnight. Sleep. You'll feel the alcohol in your system acting up in the morning."

"You rest first," Naminé said, sighing at the pointlessness of the conversation. Wielders and their legendary stubborness.

His brows furrowed, staring at her with his lower lip jutting out. The poster boy for stubborness. "I'm not sleeping until after you do."

Which practically guaranteed the fact that he would eventually fall asleep first. And he did, with the hand of his makeshift arm pillow clutching hers tightly, strands of spiky blonde hair brushing against her fingers. Suddenly, her vision just acquired a whole lot of blonde.

She may only love Roxas because of Kairi's feelings, and he might only love her because of Sora's feelings, but still, whether they be friends or lovers or anything else--

She closed her eyes and relaxed, letting her breathing fall in rhythm with his steady ones. She curled her fingers around his own, and he unconsciously did the same. Whatever happens in the morning--whether they forget what happened, or if they never speak to each other again, whether they treat each other as friends and nothing more, she'd just treasure this night forever.

After all, whatever happens---he'd always hold a special place--not only in her nonexistent heart, but also in her entire _being_.

"Goodnight," she whispered. She stared up at the ceiling for the lack of anything better to do; sleep won't come to her at this rate, not after five consecutive Curagas just decimated her sense of fatigue (and her drunkenness, thank heavens). Roxas started snoring lightly, mumbling something that remotely sounded like death threats for an already dead DiZ.

An idea hit her. Smiling to herself (and congratulating her brain for coming up with _such_ a Plan that it was ambitious and achievable at the same time, unlike Xemnas' Plans and Vexen's cooking skills), she wriggled her hand free of Thirteen's grasp, careful not to wake him. She sat up gingerly and threw her blanket over his shoulders.

"_Sleep tight_."

Naminé portalled out.

--------------------

Xemnas stood speechless.

Something that looked like a boy who had taken a bath in squid ink was shouting ""King _Mick! _Too _late_, buddy-boy's all g_ooo_ne!" while forcing something that looked disturbingly like a pink, sparkling, shiny shard of glass into his arm. The Dark Keyblade lay beside him, its heartless (so fitting for the situation, he thought, overriding his mind's question of _how_ and _why_) keychain glinting in the moonlight. The boy had his back to him and was currently laughing at King Mickey, who had come from the other side of the Courtyard. Apparently all the blood had drained from the King's face.

Wait.

"Buddy-boy's all..._gone_?" he murmured, straining to see the boy (who, due to his squid-ink-like color, blended into the shadows pretty well.

_Oh. Hell no._

He gasped involuntarily and froze on the spot as his gaze fell on another figure lying (in something that suspiciously looked like either blood or chocolate syrup) under the one who was laughing. Someone who looked a lot like Sora. Somebody who _was_ Sora.

His stomach did a 1080-degree flip. His mind was telling him to _move right NOW_, but his feet were going -oh _no_ the Wielder's dead there goes another grand Plan to reclaim Kingdom Hearts-.

Antiform (he presumed the squid-ink boy to be the Antiform the King was talking about) then did something that made his stomach flip another 360 degrees (that made for a very queasy stomach): he raised his hand (and his perfectly sharp nails glinted for a split second) and plunged it into the Wielder's back, right where the heart was supposed to be. Surprisingly, the pool of blood underneath Sora did not widen, which was a good sign.

Wait _again_.

That meant the Wielder had no more blood left to bleed.

Antiform suddenly pressed himself to the ground, and Xemnas portalled out just in time to dodge a rapidly spinning Reverse Keyblade. Mickey shot a look at him as he caught the Keyblade; Xemnas nodded imperceptibly, readying his sabers.

Whatever this thing is, if the Wielder's already dead (say goodbye to Plan II-B) , he'd _pay_.

"Xemnas! _Now!_" the King yelled just as the antiform rose up from where he had been lying a while ago. Xemnas chucked both sabers at the back of his head; it hit the target dead on.

His eyes widened; two sabers were enough to burn a hole through marble, but Antiform only rubbed the back of his pitch-black hair, as if having sustained a large bruise rather than a deadly blow to the head. He turned his sickly yellow Heartless-eyes on him, and Xemnas narrowed _his _own eyes.

"King Mick! Brought company, eh?" he shouted joyfully, rubbing his hands together as his mouth drew back into a grin, revealing teeth not much unlike fangs. "Mr.-Shiny-Rebonded-Silvery-Hair, huh?"

Xemnas felt momentarily flattered; he had never rebonded his hair or anything of the sort, his hairstyles were _au naturel_ (except for maybe a teeny bit of hair gel, but that was _it_). But his mind dictated that _no_, this was not the appropriate time to discuss hair-straightening techniques, he had to focus on a dead Wielder right now.

Antiform's gleeful voice echoed in his head. "_Too late!"_

It hit him: the sparkly pink shard of glass was most certainly _not_ glass; he didn't need his Other's memories of experiments to tell him what it really was.

A shard of _heart_.

'_King Mickey...what the _hell_ have you done?_"

"Wielder!" he yelled, summoning a large circle of sabers around them, ready to smash into Antiform as soon as King Mickey got out of range.

"Wielder-kid's _dead_! Thanks, so many thanks to the Majestic Mouse---_ha!_" Antiform laughed, picking up the Dark Keyblade (ooh, almost forgot about that) and tentatively swinging it. Xemnas gritted his teeth and waved a gloved hand down, making the sabes smash into each other. Thankfully, King Mickey had the sense to duck, but so did Antiform., who had just decided that Sora's back made a nice display stand, judging from the way the Keyblade stuck out from his back.

His mind screamed something like A HUGE KEY IS STUCK IN SORA'S BACK AND HE IS BLEEDING HIS GUTS OUT. THIS IS NOT A GOOD SIGN. ANTIFORM HAS HIS FACE SCRUNCHED UP RIGHT NOW. THIS IS NOT A GOOD SIGN. SHADOWS ARE APPEARING AND ARE CONSIDERING TO BITE YOU IN PLACES YOU WOULD NEVER WISH YOU HAD. THIS IS NOT A GOOD SIGN. Yes, definitely not good signs. Thank you very much, Mind, Xemnas would be nothing without you, not that _that_ would have much improvement over his current state of Nobody.

_Two can play at this game_, he thought, using all of his summoning capabilities, of course, to summon all the Sorcerers he could summon as he dodged Shadow attacks (aside from the new formation they were trying, they also looked like they were actually planning to do what his mind had said they would do, _that_ was an unpleasant thought) all around. Sora was looking quite dead at this point, and the Shadows were leaving little bloody footprints all over the Courtyard.

The bewildered Sorcerers had answered his call instantly (and woe to them if they didn't) and were now practically annihilating the Shadow and Neoshadow horde, and King Mickey was attacking Antiform with abandon; it seemed like getting the Key to Kingdom Hearts killed had turned on a violence switch on the King or something.

He summoned a ring of sabers again; and if Antiform tried to escape through the Corridors, Xemnas made sure_ he'll_ hunt him down (the image of a Keyblade sticking out of Organization XIII's savior's back did wonders for motivation). However, as he whipped around, Antiform suddenly _grinned_ at him as he sent the King's Keyblade spinning.

"Nuh-_uh_, Xemnie (his eyelid twitched uncontrollably), you _can't_ hurt me!" he taunted.

Xemnas snarled as he raised a hand to implode the sabers. "You bas--" he froze.

A pitch-black hand wrenched the Dark Keyblade out of Sora's back (and sent blood splattering as he took it out), and Antiform leaned forward, toppling over Sora. Laughing (more like cackling) he spread his arms and fell. Not on Sora, but _into_ him.

And Sora gasped. He even managed to choke out one word.

"...life?"

It even sounded like a question.

Now, if it had been any other time, that fact would have been highly insignificant. But considering the fact that a dead Wielder had just _gasped_ (and looked like he was choking on his own blood right now), only one word can describe it, in Xemnas' opinion.

_Wow_.

He didn't consider it as a miracle, since he _had_ seen Demyx in worse shape (he had no less than a doxen kunais stuck in random parts of his body when Larxene had decided to train in a foul mood), but there was a huge difference: Some Nobodies can stand much, _much_ more damage (and pain) than Somebodies. Had something to do with a heart, and Xemnas would explain, but right now, he'd rather not.

_Sora was alive_.

King Mickey fell to his knees, and tears sparkled at the edge of his eyes.

_Sora was alive...and would die soon if he bleeds out any more._

Thank you, Mind, once again.

He knelt down beside the now-spasming Sora, feeling cold blood soak through his coat. A large slash yawned at him from the rip of fabric that was once the Wielder's vest, and he could actually see a flash of bone. Uhm. Broken, submerged in blood-bone.

"Majesty," he said urgently. His voice seemed to snap the King out of his tearful euphoria that Sora was alive. "Majesty, do you have curative potions with you? Magic? Anything?"

"N-no---_don't_ move him, it'll injure him further--"

Xemnas stared at the King, bewildered; what _else_ could be worse than being stabbed by a three-foot key and then losing about a gallon of your blood?

Sora groaned weakly. If he survives the night, _that'd_ be a miracle.

"Portal him out of here and save his life." The King said through gritted teeth. "Ask your comrades for help."

"I am taking him to the Castle That--"

"Do _anything, please_," he squeaked, staring down at the bloody Keyblade Master.

Xemnas hesitated. "But what about the Knighting? The Princess? Wielder Riku? The--"

"I'll cover for you," he said hastily, getting to his feet and picking up a blood-spattered Reverse Keyblade. "Keep him out of sight until he has recovered fully, then send him to me."

"I can't guarantee that." Especially if the boy in question was Sora; once the Organization set their eyes on him it's guaranteed he'll be in worse shape than _this_.

"_Just save him, GO!"_ King Mickey said desperately before spinning on his heels and sprinting away. Maybe the sight of Sora made him feel too guilty for comfort..?

He wouldn't know, since he _can't_ feel. Yes.

The brunette made a gurgling noise. Xemnas called four Sorcerers and ordered them (actually, he didn't have to, since the Nobodies were more than willing to help the kid who brought them back from darkness, but since he's the Superior, he ordered them to anyway) to carefully lift Sora off the blood-soaked concrete. Blood dripped everywhere as they turned the Wielder over.

Xemnas winced; his eyes had already clouded over yet he was still rasping weakly for breath.

"Xem--" he lifted his hand a fraction of an inch before he passed out.

A thought suddenly occured to him as he stepped into the Corridors, and he cursed under his breath. Antiform; while inside Sora, was untouchable.

The darkness had just found absolute sanctuary.

--------------------

_Knock knock knock---_

_The wooden door suddenly swung open, and his hand froze in mid-knock. Not a very good impression, but right now, he had much more pressing issues on his mind._

_"Good morning, I'd--"_

_The blonde teenager who answered the door glared at him. "Stay away from my sister; you've hurt her enough. Go away."_

_"That's exactly why I'm here, I'd really like to apologize," he bit his lip, trying to keep his tears from spilling out; he had only realized that he missed her. A lot._

_"You're too late." The teen said bitterly. "She's already retaken her vows."_

_"S-she already h-has?" he choked out._

_"_You_ were the reason why," he replied angrily before slamming the door in his face._

_"N-no--"_

Zexion's eyes snapped open, sleepiness gone entirely. He blinked as the fogginess of sleep cleared; he had no recollection of going down into the Dining hall.

"Awake, are ya?" Demyx peered at him over his sitar.

He stared around the room and sighed, the sight of twentysomething shotglasses clustered in front of him jogging his memory. "Demyx, how long since I fell asleep?"

"'bout an hour and a half," the blonde grinned. "You missed one hell of a showdown..."

"I'm glad I have," he muttered under his breath. His head pounded, and it felt like Saïx had decided to use his head to test whether his claymore was hard enough. "I need to rest."

"Suit yourself," Demyx said offhandedly, twirling his finger around and making the miniature army of miniature water-forms on the table run around in circles. He laughed shrilly.

Zexion sighed and portalled out into his room.

--------------------

"There, quick."

The Sorcerers gently laid down the limp Sora onto the bed. Xemnas winced as the blood soaked readily through the white sheets; his bed would never be white again. He walked to the Wielder's side and stared down at him.

"Dismissed," he said quietly, and the Nobodies vanished. Sora was breathing quite erratically, and his shirt, not to mention his vest, once black, was now a somewhat dark shade of maroon. The coppery smell of blood filled the air.

_Get Vexen and his potions. Fast._

He was in the process of opening the Corridors when something very cold shot out and gripped his wrist tightly.

"Must...get rid...darkness---" Sora gasped, his hand holding onto Xemnas in a deathgrip.

"I need to get help. You shall die if--"

"Y-yes, I will, I need to--"

Xemnas stood there, flabbergasted, because (a) for someone who got stabbed in the heart, Sora was sure putting his vocal cords to amazingly good use and (b) Sora had just said that he actually _has_ to die...?

"_Antiform_," he rasped out, his dead eyes staring up at him.

"You _will_ get Antiform under control, just let me get Vexen and--"

"_No! Xem_nas, he dies if I do, and I m-must do my duty---"

Wow. He was speaking in complete sentences now. And smiling.

_Wait. Smiling. His guts are all over the place and he's smiling._

"Payback." Sora's hand released his wrist, and the Dark Keyblade coalesced into his open hand.

Xemnas stood, frozen (this night had a lot of frozen moments). Then what Sora was intending to do hit him. He was about to kill his Heartless. By stabbing himself. Suicide. He was _insane_.

Sora drew in a breath. "I made wrong decisions. Now I'm about to undo them in my own way." He coughed up blood, wiping it off with his free hand. "I'm sorry for everything. Tell Kai and Riku that."

"Wiel--"

"For the greater good," he paused, raising the Keyblade, sharp end down. He smiled again weakly.

"I sacrifice...my heart."

Xemnas' voice then chose this most opportunate time to reappear. A scream tore out of his throat as he watched the Key stab himself.

"Wielder, _no!_"

A flash of light blinded him, and _something_ resonated, making a shockwave that threw Xemnas across the room and slammed him into the opposing wall. He heard the Keyblade crash to the marble floor, and with it, his consciousness and his Plan for reclaiming Kingdom Hearts.

He _was_ too late after all.

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I am _so_ sorry I got this posted _so_ late, between three fics and my upcoming midterms, things have been a _lot_ hectic lately. Anyway, if you want more of the Namixas stuff, I have this fic **Questioning** that's Romance/Humor. That's where, together with this fic, I vent out my happiness before I write Trinity.

Uhm, is that a cliffie? I don't think so.

Guys. Why has nobody bothered to stop me doing reply reviews? I have just learned that replying is actually _banned_ in this site...so sorry, admin people... Aggh.

You still have cookies, though. Many thanks to **darkdude71, Skitty 2004, emi lulu, Ellie0223, Myrr, and Namine's Heart**. Keep on rockin'!

I think the Trinity fic will be up tomorrow, because right now, my wrists are already hurting from excessive typing. No quote, because anything I type might spoil the next chapter.

Read, review, and flame if you want to. Or if you're feeling benevolent, just review.


	11. Nobody from Somebody

**A/N:** On with it.

**Disclaimer:** Kingdom Hearts (c) Square Enix and Disney.

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**XI: No**_b**o**dy_** f**ro**m **_S_**ome**_bo**d**y_

--------------------

**S**he hurriedly drew the white curtains shut, holding her breath.

But then again, it _was_ three in the morning! How could she expect them to be out at _this_ time of the morning! There she was, staring at the perpetually twilight sky, and minding her business in general (no, actually, she was refining her Plan, but she'd rather no-one knew of said plan), when someone yelped so loud it could be heard from behind the windowpane.

That someone being Pence, Hayner and Olette behind him.

"I'd have to chain that..." she said exasperatedly as she stomped through the white room, which was once hers, and was, technically, still hers. All her sketches were still on the walls, and she cringed at the sight of something that looked straight out of preschool. She _really_ drew badly when her memories were as blank as the white walls. Good thing she has, at least, something of Kairi's.

Sighing, Naminé portalled out of the room and into the Mansion basement. This Plan was going to take a _long_ time.

---------------------

_**B**link. Blink. Blinky-blink._

Xemnas shook his head violently and paused to stare at the dent in the wall his head made. One glance at the scene in front of him made him want to bang his head again for good measure. He slowly stood up and stepped shakily up to his own bed, careful not to step closer than absolutely necessary to the Dark Keyblade that sparkled innocently in the moonlight.

On said blood-drenched bed lay a very dead Wielder, brunette hair spread out on the pillow, hand dangling limply over the side of the bed. Xemnas fought the urge to retch (from the sight itself---and the horrifying amount of bleach he'd have to use to get his bedsheets white again) as he turned away from the grisly sight.

Sora killed himself. The reality hit him like a brick-no, maybe a twenty-foot tall brick wall. Hm. Anxiety gripped him; he wanted to wail _what about Plan II-B?_ and scream like the demented Nobody that he really was, but he decided that the sooner the Organization knew about this, the better.

Oh, and of course, the sooner he got to launder his bedsheets, much, _much_ more better.

This was going to be one hell of a meeting.

---------------------

"_**X**ehanort!_"

A scream echoed throughout the Castle That Never Was, and from the way it jolted Xaldin awake, it was definitely not good. Also, from the way one of Xigbar's bullets crashed through his wall and right into Vexen's (who had yelled in complete abandon), he wasn't the only one who was in a horrible mood.

Cursing, he summoned his lances and portalled out, his dream of a little redwine-haired girl not exactly comforting.

--------------------

"**M**arluxia."

He blinked his eyes sleepily at the figure silhouetted in the doorway. "Zexion? It's four in the morning. I've not been informed of any mission _this_ early."

"Urgent meeting." Zexion tried futilely to brush the hair out of his face. "Xemnas says _now_." The door shut; and the darkness engulfed his room once again.

Marluxia froze in mid-yawn as he remembered something. Number Six has the right side of his face hidden by his hair. However, he was absolutely positive the Zexion that had woken him up has a cascade of blue over his _left_.

Muttering something about weird things and fertilizer, he portalled out, trying to clear his mind free of the dream he had been jolted out of--a certain brunette and redhead's reunion.

Man, his head hurt.

---------------------

"**L**arxene, shut the hell up!" Axel mumbled, trying to block out his roommate's voice. What was it...three in the morning, and she conveniently decides to practice her battle cries at this ungodly hour (and on another note..._why_ did she have to use the Superior's Other name?)

She screamed again, making sure that any intention of falling asleep would be chased away from Axel's brain.

Infuriated, Axel threw his pillow at the silhouette of the blonde, who was currently sitting up in her bed. He was still too groggy to get up and activate the Materia that usually illuminated his room, so he summoned his chakrams instead (and resisted the urge to throw them at number Twelve, _really_, a good night's sleep had been ruined). "_Cripes_ what the hell is _wrong_ with---"

His words died away as Larxene flung four kunais to each four orbs of Materia (and bathing them in blinding white light--official color of the World That Never Was) spread across the room. Or rather, Arlene, her Other.

She had taken to burying her face in the pillow he had thrown at her, but it did nothing to hide the long, silky waterfall of gold she had for hair. She still had her bug feelers, albeit longer and somehow...more docile.

"Don't look at me, don't look at me--" she was chanting into the pillow, her usually snappish tone muffled in the cotton-filled square of cloth.

"Uh, why did you scream 'Xehanort' at three in the morning?" Axel asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

Larxene's ears (or what was visible through her hair) turned bright red as she hugged the pillow tighter. He flinched--it was _his_ pillow she was hugging, and he certainly didn't like it. Screw the fact that he had actually kissed her earlier; he's officially blaming it on the fifteen shots of hard alcohol he had downed.

"Don't ask." She said sharply into the pillow.

"Who are you talking to, anyway?" He snapped, annoyed. "Me? or my damn pillow?"

"Hey, answer--_oof_!" A soft fluffly thing hit him in the face, and he stared indignantly at the blonde, who returned his gaze. Who, in his opinion, looked absolutely beautiful.

That was the alcohol. Okay.

"Look at me!" she whined, spreading out her palms (not that Axel wasn't already looking, but let's spare him the embarassment of beng caught staring) on the bedsheets. "I---I look like my Other--"

"No duh." He ducked just in time to avoid three kunais in the head.

"A-and she's--oh, her memories are overwhelming..." She trailed off, her frightened tone of voice making _him_ scared. Larxene had never once showed any sign of fear, and he was sure she'd never will.

_Fear..._

_blonde shifting to red--_

_thalassa shifting to a fruit--_

_Naminé shifting to Kai--_

He yelped as the Superior suddenly appeared of a portal in the middle of the room.

"Superior? What did you kill _this_ time?" He asked loudly, uneasily eyeing Xemnas' blood-soaked coat (not that he'd see it--he knew it from the way blood dripped on the marble floor). However, the silver-haired leader was busily engaged in a staring match with Larxene, who looked like she was trying to glare his head off.

"Come _off_ it Larx!" the pyro yelled. Larxene blinked and gave a frightened squeak. Xemnas cleared his throat.

"We have a problem."

--------------------

_"**W**e're back."_

_"You're home."_

Roxas' eyes snapped open. Jumping to his feet, he immediately portalled out, not noticing that another certain blonde, supposed to be sleeping, was gone.

He had far too much on his mind right now.

_--------------------_

**L**oud, insistent, and absolutely _irritating_ knocks on the door made Saïx very angry, Demyx was well aware of that. So was Luxord. That was exactly why they had thought of awaking Lexaeus first (he made a very good shield come training time). So he and the gambler were now standing behind the Silent Hero, pretending they were his guards or something, but all off them knew full well it was the other way around.

Saïx was very scary when he was angry. Yes, he was.

"_Saïx!_ Wake up!" Lexaeus hollered before sighing at the futility of it all. "Why don't one of you two just portal inside and shake him awake?"

"And get killed?" Demyx said unbelievingly. "Are you insane?" Luxord nodded in agreement.

Number Five shook his head. "Whose anger would you rather face--Saïx's or the Superior's?"

They fell silent.

"I knew so," the hulking Nobody said exasperatedly as he summoned his tomahawk, supposdly intending to break down the berserker's door with as much noise as possible. "_Sa--_"

"I'm up, _I'm up_..." The door swung open into a faceful of bleary-eyed, blue-hair-rumpled, teary-faced Nobody.

Demyx choked and gave a frightened squeak (he also clutched the back of Lexaeus' hood in fear, which the irritated Nobody jerked back. He thus settled for clutching Luxord's sleeve in case he needed a shield) as he stared at the berserker. Teary-faced was something that had never been used to describe Saïx before, and he clamped a hand over his mouth to stop the adjective from slipping out and becoming the cause of his untimely Fading.

However, Luxord had other ideas, seeing that he had started laughing under his breath. "Have you been crying or--"

"Don't ask." Saïx growled, the claymore summoned in his hand adding to the effectiveness of his growl.

"Can do."

Silence blanketed over them again, Luxord and Saïx glaring (in the gambler's case, razor-sharp cards, and in the berserker's case, razor-sharp claymores) at each other. Demyx inched slowly away from the two in case they caught fire or something.

"Let's get to the meeting room _now_, shall we?" Lexaeus' tired voice cut across the silence.

--------------------

"**C**an somebody _please_ get number Thirteen here and---"

Snarling, Roxas brushed himself off. He had sprinted through the Corridors (got lost two times: he mistakenly turned into a horde of stampeding gazelles on the first, and he portalled into the middle of a Radiant Garden classroom at the second try. Thankfully, he had gathered his senses enough to remember where the Meeting Hall was) in his hurry to get here, his mind racing with a million questions.

He looked up. Axel was standing shiftily against one wall, eyeing Larxene next to him, who was currently muttering nonstop under her breath. Roxas' eyes widened as she turned around to say something to Marluxia on her left; her now-_waist length _hair had been tied back. Marluxia nodded and talked animatedly back.

Was it just him, or was _Zexion_ staring at Larxene?

What_ever_ he had something much more pressing on his mind. The door behind him clicked and he whirled around to see a blood-drenched Xemnas.

Roxas felt like fainting.

He had been jolted awake by a shot of _excruciating_ pain through the chest, right where his heart was supposed to be. _He_ didn't have any kind of wound or anything else that would've merited such pain, so he supposed it was Sora's pain he was sharing. For a Somebody to feel that much pain, however, was deadly.

And judging from the expression on Xemnas' face (and the horrible bloodstains on his clothes---and the shocked faces of his comrades) something was wrong.

His heart skipped a beat as all the possibilities of what could have happened raced through his head.

_Since when did he have a heart to skip a beat?_

"Tell me he didn't just do what I think he did," he said in one breath desperately. "Tell me he didn't just go and---"

The meeting hall broke into conversations and whispered exclamations, and Xemnas looked visibly shaken.

Roxas stared at him, a lump forming in his throat. "Oh _hell_ he didn't--"

The silver-haired Nobody spoke in a voice so quiet it had the effect of shutting all the Nobodies up. "The Knighting had gone wrong."

Larxene spluttered indignantly. "B-but all the King had to do was to tap both of them with a stupid sword!"

"No. Settle down."

"But Sora's _hurt_!" Roxas yelled at him, Oathkeeper coalescing in one clenched fist. "We _have_ to find him!"

"Sora's _injured?_" Vexen said incredously, staring at Roxas unbelievingly. "How, I ask, would you know that?"

"He's _my Other for crying out LOUD!_" he roared, frustrated at their lack of concern for the guy who brought them back from the darkness. "_HE COULD BE DYING, BLEEDING HIS GUTS OUT SOMEWHERE AND WE'RE HERE WONDERING HOW THE HELL I DAMN KNOW! WE _HAVE_ TO--_"

"No we don't." Xemnas cut across him smoothly. "Sora Hikari is already dead."

A collective gasp ran across the room.

"You're joking," Axel asked weakly, collapsing into a vacant white chair.

"Do I joke about things like these, Axel?"

"N-no," the pyro replied in an even weaker voice.

Roxas fell to his knees, tears blurring his vision and dropping onto the pristine marble floor, the Oathkeeper clattering forlornly beside him. He felt like screaming. The general atmosphere of the Hall suddenly became much more quiet (punctuated by a few sniffs and the occasional sob--and Roxas had no intention whatsoever to find out who, for fear of being scarred for life).

"_Cripes!_" Xigbar suddenly exclaimed. Roxas gritted his teeth and stared at the eyepatched Nobody, who was looking quite frustrated with himself. "I'm a _Nobody_, I'm not supposed to feel anything! Why am I feeling so...so frickin' _sad_ right now!"

Roxas stared at him. He was actually right. He wasn't _remembering_ anguish, he was _feeling_ anguish. Whatever. First things first. He turned to the Superior. "Why and how?" he asked in a surprisingly even voice, ignoring the sobbing that sounded suspiciously like Demyx.

Xemnas sighed and walked over to the nearest Nobody-free chair (which was, surprisingly, very few, seeing that all his fellow comrades had already sat without him knowing), leaving him, literally, the last man standing. "Let me begin at the beginning..." (at which Axel rolled his eyes, of _course_ you had to start with the beginning, why call it _begin_?)

"The Knighting of the two Wielders Riku and Sora was no ordinary induction, King Mickey had made sure of that. He intended to bind them to the realm of light."

Zexion snorted. "That'd kill Riku."

"Yes, it would. _If_ it went the way it was supposed to be. I tried to talk the King out of it, but because of legendary Wielder stubborness (Xemnas shot Roxas a look), he didn't budge. So he went ahead."

"Why would it kill Riku?" Marluxia asked interestedly, looking over Larxene's shoulder (and ignoring Axel's glaring).

"Darkness is an integral part of his heart," Zexion explained, saying more words than he would normally use in a month. "Binding to the realm of light banishes darkness within, and doing so to Riku would be like ripping his heart in two."

"Mhmm," the brunette nodded thoughtfully to himself, whispering something in Larxene's ear.

"Back to the story," Xemnas continued. "He transmuted the Dark Keyblade and used the Seven Princess's powers over light to make the oath binding. However, one of the Princesses' touch had been tainted by darkness, and the Knighting had no effect on Riku. In Sora's case, the King released his Antiform, the dark side of his heart."

"Antiform, I suppose, rampaged, and injured Sora to within a few inches of his life. The King and I arrived just in time to stop him from ripping out the Wielder's heart completely, and I brought the Wielder here to the Castle _alive_."

"You didn't kill him, did you?" Marluxia asked conspiratorally.

"No." Xemnas said in a very dangerous tone (one that clearly stated 'If you say another word I'm going to kick you out of this Castle'). "Sora was intent on getting rid of Antiform, so he killed himself."

The room fell silent.

"Oh." Saïx shrugged. "Then why is Roxas still here?"

Vexen joined in the conversation. "As far as my studies say, when an existing Other dies, his Nobody fades with him."

Xemnas sighed exasperatedly. "As far as _I'm_ concerned, the Wielder's as dead as anyone with a Keyblde sticking out of his heart as anyone else. I know of no way he could survive what---"

Roxas had tuned out all the Superior's next words as he bit his lip, horrified, working out what Sora had done.

"He stabbed himself with the Dark Keyblade?" he burst out.

Xemnas eyed him, gaze unsettling. "Yes, he did, before my very--"

"_Hell no.._" he whispered fervently to himself, bringing a hand over his chest, ignoring the Superior calling out his name insistently.

Roxas knew full well what had happened when Sora had first stabbed himself with the Dark Keyblade. Naminé had come into existence when Kairi's heart left Sora's, and not soon after, Roxas, when Kairi released Sora's heart. Panic started to flood his mind. He didn't kill himself, the **idiot**. He only released his _heart_. That was why Roxas was still standing there, frying his brain cells thinking of _how _he still existed.

But then, that spurred a lot more questions. Like where Sora's heart ended up. Like _where_ his new Nobody was. Like whether Sora _himself_ was a Heartless or---

"His _Antiform_!" Roxas yelled suddenly, the Oblivion and Oathkeeper clenched once again in his shaking hands.

"What is it?" Xemnas stood up (as did all of the other Nobodies, the sight of the normally-brooding Roxas going berserk was something they _had_ too see), alarmed. "His Antiform is dead along with Sora."

"He didn't kill himself, Xemnas!" he said in a high-pitched voice, grabbing the front of the silver Nobody's coat frantically. "The Dark Keyblade releases _hearts_! It doesn't _kill_!"

"_Crap!_" Axel shouted suddenly, making Larxene beside him jump. "Roxas' right! Sora's Antiform is on the loose!"

"_Not to mention his _heart_ is on the loose_!" Demyx yelled right after, summoning his sitar. "His _heart!"_

At which the meeting room burst into activity, weapons being summoned one after the other. Xemnas _definitely_ looked panicked, he apparently was too distraught to think of that obvious thing. "Silence!" he bellowed, sabers suddenly hovering around the room, ready to implode at any minute.

"Xaldin, Lexaeus, Saïx, Axel, Marluxia, Larxene and Roxas, with me, we hunt Sora's Antiform down. The rest, follow Xigbar and claim the Wielder's heart!"

"What about his new Nobody?" someone asked, voice unrecognizable in the babble that followed Xemnas' instructions.

"We worry about that later. Weapons at the ready," they all tensed, waiting for to go signal that never came.

The door clicked open.

"Is anyone in here?" Sora poked his head in, and his sentence was cut short, probably from the stares they were all directing at him now. "Okay. Is this a bad time?"

Roxas slowly backed away and tripped on a lance.

--------------------

**N**aminé hummed to herself as her fingers tapped nimbly on the keyboard. Xemnas had certainly ravaged this place fairly clean, but there was still things he hadn't touched. Like the memory-rearranging amplifier software she and Riku had created together.

Good thing, because it made her Plan _so _much more easier.

_----------------------_

_"_**I** take that this is definitely not a good time."

Roxas stared at the figure that had thrown the door open. He couldn't help but stare, from the bloody sneaker-prints on the white marble (well, one of _them_ would have to clean that up later, and he had no intention to be _that_ poor Nobody) to the tips of bloodstained brunette hair.

"You _should_ take a bath," Axel's voice cut across the silence, diffusing the mood slightly (judging from the way snickers echoed off the walls). Slightly being the word of choice. The pyro stared funnily at Xemnas. "Superior, I think you just made a _very_ serious understatement."

Snickers again.

Sora grinned widely. "Sorry for the mess. I'll clean it up later--"

"Sora. Uhm." Roxas stammered, not able to take his eyes off his Other. Now he knew where Antiform was. The left half of his face looked like it had been dipped in black ink, and a streak of black crossed the bridge of his nose. In fact, the left half of his body seemed to have been bathed in black and his mahogany-brown hair hid strands of ebony among them. An eye, glinting sickly-Heartless yellow, stared at them from under black strands. He was, literally, half-Antiform.

The brunette tilted his head at them (scratching the back of his head with a razor-sharp-nails-tipped hand) as he walked inside and closed the door with an ominous thud. "I can explain."

"Please," Xemnas said weakly, gesturing to the chair he had just vacated earlier.

Sora declined the offer. "Uh, okay. Where should I start?"

"Maybe with the fact that you're half-Heartless would help?" Roxas ventured. Sora walked and stood next to him, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Okay, with that. I was half-delirious with pain, okay? It didn't occur to me that the Dark Keyblade wasn't exactly the suicide tool of choice. So anyway, I stabbed myself, and then released all thirteen shards of my heart, I suppose, to you guys, seeing that you are the closest--"

"Question!" the pyro raised a hand. "If I may ask, _how_ exactly did your heart get broken into exactly _thirteen_ shards?" he asked shrewdly.

Sora shrugged. "I can tell you Kai broke my heart, but I can't tell you why thirteen."

Vexen whipped out his trusty Sharpie fine-tip and started scribbling on the marble table, ignoring the disapproving glare of the Superior as he did so.

"Anyhow that happened. When I released my heart, I was supposed to turn completely Heartless, wasn't I? Well, there was a problem," he jerked a thumb towards Roxas.

The blonde stared at him with dawning comprehension on his face. "You already _have_ a Nobody."

"Yes, I do," he nodded thoughtfully (altough the effect was ruined by the blood), tapping his chin. "A new Nobody can't be created, I suppose. Only one Nobody per heart, I think. So I think Kingdom Hearts _had_ to do something...I released my heart, or a part of it, to Roxas."

"So technically that means--" Vexen started. Roxas finished his sentence for him.

"You're the Nobody now."

Sora nodded enthusiastically. "And half-Heartless. Don't worry, I have him under control. I think so." he added in a not-so-confident voice.

"Okay, I get it," Xigbar said loudly, leaning on the backrest of Vexen's seat. "That's why we can actually feel."

"Yep, because you have my heart."

"Why do I get the feeling," Marluxia asked, "that you're actually _happy _about this?"

"Because you got what you want, didn't you?" Sora smiled, running a clawed hand through his spikes. "You have my heart. Not to brag, but it's the most powerful tool Kingdom Hearts has to offer."

--------------------

**L**arxene bit her lip as the Wielder answered the questions Vexen was currently bombarding him with. She drew her hair over one shoulder and started absentmindedly playing with it.

They really got what they wanted, didn't they? They could feel, even if it's just the shards of another's heart. It certainly was as effective as a whole one. The incomplete feeling that was still present (whatever--it was still only a shard), but she had long gotten used to the void that was her heart missing.

Then why was she frightened?

She ignored the discreet glance Zexion had sent her way. He had been like that ever since they had entered this meeting hall.

"It's like a breather, you know, until I find you guys your own hearts---" Sora was saying.

"Ah. So that is the reason why I have dreamt of Princess Kairi on a pirate ship of some sort," Vexen replied, scribbling furiously on the marble table once again. Sora (or rather, the right side of his face) blushed furiously. Larxene reminded herself that the Wielder was the one who was only remembering how to feel now.

"M-maybe because she was the one who broke my heart, so that's why thirteen shards of memory--"

"Maybe. I do have to conduct an experiment."

She let her gaze wander over her fellow Nobodies---

_Were they still Nobodies?_

--and pursed her lips. She was the first to change. She met Zexion's eyes and blushed, turning away instantly, noticing that his bags were now on the opposite side of his face.

_Was she still Larxene?_

That was a question she had trouble answering.

_When Nobodies got a heart, are they still themselves? Or do they turn into their Others?_

Tears formed at the edge of her eyes. No, she definitely wasn't happy. She didn't want to turn back into Arlene. She was number Twelve of Organization XIII, the Savage Nymph, and they were her _family_. She threw kunais, controlled lightning, and was a sadist. That was the image she had clung to desperately for the need of having her _own_ life.

She _was_ Larxene, and always, and forever will be.

"Larx?" Axel asked beside her, brushing the curtain of flaxen hair that hid her face from his view.

"I don't want to change," she said softly, unable to stop the tears rapidly dripping from her eyes, for the first time, heartfelt sadness blurring her vision. "I don't want to become somebody else. I want to be _Larxene_."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: **That was a question that's been bugging me for the longest time. What would happen if Organization XIII really _did_ get hearts, hm?

Why was Zexion stealing glances at Larxene? You should've guessed by now. What is Naminé's grand Plan? I'm not telling, what kind of author would I be if I did?

Sorry if the chapter has less humor and fluffiness (okay, so it _was_ nonexistent) than usual, yes?

I haven't typed the next chapter yet, and have no idea how to write the story, so no quote yet...I'm such a lazy girl.

Thank you to **darkdude71**(evil, yes, evil), **Maux **(II-B is ruined, that I can say), **Skitty 2004 **(Ah...Sora just won't die, won't he?), **Ellie0223**(don't cry. Sora, I think, has more lives than a cat), **Teh Pwnful Kiwi**(magically? no. Stupidly? yes.), **hikari-aozora **(he just -won't- die!), **Namine's Heart **(ohh...how my heart jumps with joy).

Hey! It's an author's note! -sticks out tongue-

Sorry. I want to rant a bit. PLEASE REVIEW. Please? So many hits, and less than 10 review! -sobs- Go on, click the little purple button. You know you want to. XD


	12. Do you feel?

**A/N: **On with it once again. The romance of this fanfiction follows a very convoluted plot. I like to keep you guys guessing. XD.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Kingdom Hearts, I'd fire the King's fashion designer.

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**XII: **_D_**o **yo**u **_feel_

**----------------**

Axel grinned. He had been doing of grinning lately. He just can't stop grinning (and from showing off his pearly, shiny, white teeth), partly because Marluxia had found someone else to direct his glares at (that unfortunate somebody being Zexion, who, strangely, glared back) than him, and partly because he had a _heart_. Finally.

Oh, and partly because Larxene was currently using his shoulder as something to cry on. Ugh. So cliché. But still, Axel likes her--it.

He's blaming it on the newly inducted heart he has.

He grinned again. Larxene sobbed some more.

Cute.

"Larx, stop crying already...you're the frickin' Savage Nymph!"

"I am!" She whispered fiercely. "I'm not Arlene!"

"Whoever said you were Arlene?"

"..." She sighed into his shoulder.

Axel felt the back of his neck prickle. He twisted his neck a bit just in time to see Zexion direct a scorching glare at him. Discreetly slipping an arm protectively around the blonde's heaving shoulders, he glared right back.

What _was_ wrong with the blue-haired emo, anyway? Aside from the fact that he had miraculously shifted his curtain of hair from the left side of his face to the right, and from the fact that he was showing more emotion than he had since Axel had known him, Zexion still pretty much looked the same.

Hey, _he_ saw Larxene first.

"Okay. You aren't going to kill me?" Sora asked worriedly, rubbing his hands together.

They had spent the good part of the early morning explaining the Organization's illustrious past to Sora, who had absolutely no recollection of Castle Oblivion. Naminé had certainly done a good job of chaining down the brunette's memories.

Gah. Speaking of brunettes...Marluxia was shooting him a look that very much said 'I'm going to kill you as soon as Larxene stops crying.'

What _was_ it with these people?

"Depends," Axel answered hastily. "If you piss off the wrong guy, you might just end up dead."

Well, considering someone of Sora's strength, most likely, _that_ guy would end up dead.

Sora sighed, pouting in the same way Roxas always did: in a very cute way that nobody would be able to resist it. Hell, if Axel didn't know the pout belonged to a guy who was wicked good with Keyblades, Axel would actually try to--

Okay. He's a guy. He liked Larxene. OKAY.

"Not that I'm alive anyway," Sora said morosely, shaking his head slightly to get rid of the excess water that Demyx had dumped on him earlier. Poor kid. But hey! He was soaked in his own blood; somebody _had_ to clean him up one way or another. "Let's go through this again..."

The brunette (was it still brunette? His hair was half black now, not much unlike the rest of him) Wielder was actually good with names, Axel noticed.

"You--you're Xemnas," he paused, staring at the Superior, who was now looking more bewildered than the pyro thought possible. "Xigbar, Xaldin (who had apologized earlier for the Beast's Castle incident, never mind that he was actually the closest one who got to killing the Wielder out of the Organization), Vexen (who, by the smirk on his face, was probably considering the experiments he'd conduct on the Wielder--it wasn't everyday that you come across a half-Heartless, half-Nobody), Lexaeus, and Zexion."

At Zexion's name Axel hoped the blue-haired number Six would take a break from sending death glares over his way, but no dice.

"You guys are Ansem the Wise's (Xemnas' cough would have been much, much more convincing if Xigbar, Xaldin and Lexaeus hadn't coughed at the same time) helpers, right?" Sora asked.

Xaldin exchanged glances with Vexen. "We'd prefer apprentices, thank you."

Sora shrugged. He lost interest quickly. "Whatever. Okay. Saïx, do you know I hate you?"

Axel gritted his teeth at the sound of the Superior's little tattletale's name. He hated Saïx with a passion. The berserker grinned in the maniacal way only he could pull off. "Naturally."

"And do you know that the pointy ears are seriously cool?"

He did a double take, since when were pointy ears _cool_?

Saïx grinned wider. He looked positively insane. But then again, he probably was.

Sora stared at Axel. Or most probably, at the heap of blonde that was currently using his shoulder as a pillow. He quirked an eyebrow. Axel smiled. ""Axel, I've got your name memorized already... Demyx--"

Larxene suddenly shifted, bringing her folded arms down the white marble table together with her head. She whimpered loudly, making every Organization member stare at her (well, everybody who hadn't been staring at her previously).

"Demyx, Melodious Nocturne, _please_ next time you want to give me a bath, tell me first--"

Number Nine grinned widely as he reached over and patted Larxene on the back in a very comforting way, that Axel didn't exactly like. He glared at Demyx, who was actually immune to such stares, since said glares were directed him on a minute-ly basis.

"--and no matter what anyone says, you're on hell of a fighter, stop grinning, your face will split. Luxord, Marluxia...Larxene."

Axel was too busy glaring at Marluxia, Demyx, and Zexion in one-minute shifts to notice the Wielder counting off their names.

"Uh," Sora's voice sliced through the tension. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?" Him, Marluxia and Zexion said simultaneously. Axel wanted to scream and yell. What _was_ up with them today? WHAT?

"I'm asking Larxene," Sora pointed out with a raised eyebrow. The pyro shot a glance at Roxas, who was currently trying and failing miserably to keep his laughter in check.

"What, Wielder?" the blonde asked tiredly, propping her head up on her palms.

"Uhm," Sora hesitated. "Your hair--I thing the last time I saw it--"

"It's _not_ my hair. It's my Other's. I'm reverting to Arlene."

"You're _what?_" Axel spat, wincing at the loudness of his own voice. What? He _was_ surprised, he didn't know that Larxene was actually _reverting_ to her Other! So that was why she was so depressed... No way in _hell_ is he going to allow _that_ to happen!

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Zexion scoot over and push him gently out of the way as he laid protective hands on Larxene's shoulders. She whimpered but didn't move.

"Get your hands off her!" Marluxia hissed, forcing Zexion's hands away. "Or I'll get them off for you!"

Axel stood there, bewildered. _ZEXION?_

"Cripes. I said, I think I'm turning to Arlene!" Larxene flushed before burying her face in her arms again.

She was cute when she blushed. No, she was beauti--

"I think' is way different than 'I am'," Sora's voice pointed out, but it was drowned by the bickering between Marluxia and Zexion.

Marluxia, Axel could understand; the brunette picked fights with him whenever he had the chance. But Zexion? No freakin' way.

"I told you, get your hands off her!" Marluxia hissed.

"What, does she belong to you?" Zexion hissed back.

"D'you think she belongs to _you_ then?"

Zexion took a step forward, staring the brunette in the eye, who recoiled slightly. "Mar--"

"Okay, okay, I think she belongs to nobody," Axel cut in, eyeing the two of them. He was, honestly, pissed off. They were fighting over Larxene, who was now whimpering into the table, with nobody even trying to comfort her or something. "Marluxia, stop acting like you want her to be your girlfriend, because she obviously doesn't. Zexion, stop acting like she's _already_ your girlfriend, because she's just not. Go back to being your normal emo self, would--"

"Then stop acting like you're her knight in shining armor," Zexion said coldly.

Axel stopped short, stunned. He choked and stammered in rapid succession before finding the ability to speak coherently. "I am NOT. N-O-T, got it memorized?"

"Thank you, Axel, but I can spell words fine on my own."

"What the _hell_ is up with you, anyway!"

"Nothing. I'm just protecting Larxene," he said coolly, watching Axel's reaction.

He sputtered incoherently. "Protecting _Larxene?_ From what? The Evil Pyromaniac Axel? Emo boy, come _on_, that's the lamest---_MARLUXIA!" _He hissed. Number Eleven was now smirking and sitting beside the blonde, stroking her hair softly as she whimpered more and more.

"What? You two are busy fighting, so I figured, do you even _care_ about Larxene?"

"Shut the hell up," Zexion said angrily. "Get your hands away from her."

"I think Marluxia was the one who told you that--" Axel started.

"Shut up too."

"Ze_xion_ what _is_---"

"WHAT THE HELL DOES KING MICKEY HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?" a very mad Sora bellowed, cutting their argument short. He seemed to have been engaged in fairly civil conversation with Xemnas and Roxas. Hm. Finally. Sora realized he was being played.

"ANSWER ME!"

Snarling, Axel shoved Marluxia out of the way and whispered something into Larxene's ear, managing to get out a sentence before being wrestled to the floor by both the flower boy and emo kid.

--------------------

Hands were a very interesting aspect of the body. Roxas thought so. How the joints connected together so perfectly, how the fingers can do something as delicate as stroke a rose petal or something so deadly as wield a Keyblade.

Yes, his gloved hands were very interesting. That's why he's staring at them no--

"I SAID--"

"Sora." Luxord spoke up. "To summarize, it was actually because of him that this had happened in the first place."

Thank you, Luxord, for saving us from becoming Keyblade carnage.

It _was_ Sora's fault, actually, _he_ was the one who said he wanted to go home and tell Riku and Kairi the news. Xemnas told him that King Mickey had taken care of that, Riku and Kairi won't worry about him anymore...What lie the King had told to convince them, Roxas would dearly like to know.

Besides, Sora couldn't go home! Look at him! He's half Antiform, for crying out loud! Riku'll probably kill him on sight! Not to mention Destiny Island's Paladins! But the brunette Wielder still had probably no idea what his face looked like, and Roxas didn't want to be around him when Sora found out exactly what stabbing himself did to his physical appearance.

Little children would most probably run away the moment they saw Sora coming.

Okay.

Sora was evidently fighting the urge to break down and cry as Luxord related what Xemnas had told the Organization earlier.

Was he overreacting? Hell no, in Roxas' opinion! Sora's faith and trust in King Mickey had been shattered. The King had thought him expendable.

Roxas felt sorry for his Nobody (it _was_ such a joy to think of Sora as his Nobody), he really did. Such a happy day for the Thirteenth Order, but such a sucky day for Sora.

"How do I know you tell the truth?" Sora asked desperately, sounding very much like he'd gritted his teeth.

"We offer no proof but what is currently happening now to you," Xemnas said simply.

Sora fell to his knees, defeated.

Roxas stared at him. In fact, the whole Organization (even Larxene--she had stopped her whimpering spell for a few minutes because of Luxord's explaining) was staring at the Wielder.

He suddenly stood up abruptly, looking determined.

"I'm gonna go home now." He stated flatly.

"No!" Roxas yelled frantically, then paused. It sounded a bit retarded if he told Sora he couldn't come home because he'd scare the townspeople away and get killed in the process. "I-I mean--"

"The King has instructed me to send you to him as soon as you are completely recovered," the Superior covered smoothly; Roxas marveled at how the Superior could do something like that. Hm. Maybe he could ask him...?

"Who gives a damn about him, anyway?" Sora breathed angrily. "Why do _you_ care, Xemnas? He was the one who told me to kill the Organization in the first place."

Roxas felt his eyes widen; he had never heard Sora talk about King Mickey like that, at least directly (and that's saying something, _he had _lived in Sora's head for at least half a year, and he heard every thought that went through the brunette Wielder's head, whether he liked to or not). He was most likely very mad; likely because he had no emotion to get mad with now.

Xemnas gritted his teeth visibly. "We--"

"I don't have time for this..." Sora huffed. "Nice seeing you guys, but I have school on Monday."

He spun around on his heel, and Roxas made a grab for his wrist. Surprisingly, he didn't miss. Sky blue eyes stared into cerulean ones, and Roxas could almost hear him snarl.

"Sora! You can't!"

"Why the hell not?"

"You---uh, you need to rest! You've been stabbed twice tonight!" He thought furiously, before saying the first rational explanation to mind.

"I'm fine," Sora replied, but there was a tiny hint of hesitation in his voice. Score one for Roxas!

"No you're not, " Roxas said triumphantly. "Xemnas said the King'll take care of everything, so you don't have to worry about Riku and Kairi worrying."

"I don't care, I want to go home," he said stubbornly, studiously ignoring the drop of blood slowly making its way down the bridge of his nose.

"You need to wash up, at the very least," Vexen spoke up, making him and Sora swivel their heads towards him.

"I guess..." he gave in, no longer able to not pay attention to the thin stream of blood constantly running down the side of his face down to his chin.

"Third door on the right."

Sora shrugged and he spun around, walking out the white (now bloodstained) door, leaving a bloody handprint on it as he went.

"One of my coats are there! The one on the far left, okay?" Roxas called out after him, watching his bloodstained sneakers whip out of sight before sighing in relief. He turned his attention back to his fellow members, three of which were currently involved in a three-way duel (well, Zexion kept mostly out of the way, it _was_ what he always did).

Placing _his_ bet on Axel, Roxas gave twenty munny to Luxord and watched, relishing the fact that he was actually, honest-to-goodness, feeling _happy_.

-------------------

Naminé liked the Castle that Never Was the most in the wee hours of the morning; it was the only time of the day (or night...or everlasting night) that the Castle was absolutely quiet. No elemental spells, no kunais missing her head by inches, no curses shouted in the corridors... only the sound of her own footsteps echoing off the walls of the Materia-lit corridor.

She liked the silence. It let her think more clearly. Also, the fact that DiZ and Riku had kept her in solitary confinement since she had come into existence (or so they said) may have had some influence on her preferences. Or maybe she had just gotten so damn tired of the constant bickering.

Whatever. Her Plan was underway. All she needed was a few more weeks, and her careful planning would be a success. Hopefully, Roxas would like it.

She wondered how hope really felt like. It must be something good, judging from the amount of hoping Somebodies always did.

Yawning, she continued to trudge her way up to her and Roxas' room. She didn't exactly favor portalling tonight, because it'll sap the little energy she had left--good thing Roxas gave her five Curagas earlier, or she'd have dropped asleep at least thirty minutes ago.

"Tacks? Only the _tacks_ are left?"

Naminé froze. She had lived (okay, existed) in this Castle long enough to recognize each and every one of Organization XIII's voices. She was absolutely sure that this--whoever it is wasn't a member. And he was ranting about mirrors right now (that mirror was the third one Saïx had broken into tiny little grains of glass--seriously, he had enough bad luck from breaking mirrors for about twenty-one years already, but since they didn't believe in bad luck, Saïx only had to replace the broken mirrors, which he hadn't done since last month).

She quietly made her way further down the corridor and pushed the bathroom (Bathroom 6A-D) door open. It creaked inward with a very eerie silence (since she herself had just oiled its hinges; actually, she had oiled all the hinges of the Castle, because she can't just stand the creaking they made. Nobodies could _portal_, why the heck would they need doors in the first place?) and that--whoever it was, let out a gasp.

Make that a _what_ever.

A Heartless _thing_ was frozen in the motion of zipping up one of the Organization's coats. Which made both hilarious and tragic situations run through her mind as to _where_ it got the coat from. Pure black, it was taller than her; she had never _seen_ a Neoshadow grow as large as this. And with spiky hair. Black, pitch-dark, spiky hair. And huge yellow Heartless eye.

And it turned to face her.

Blue and yellow eyes stared at her. Half-Heartless...and it looked very much like some kind of darkness had leached onto someone very impossible. Sora.

She opened her mouth and screamed.

---------------------

"Oh. Oh. _Aaaaaah!_"

Roxas jerked his head up from his arms (which made a very good pillow). He had fallen asleep for who knows how long; yet the same three people were arguing with each other. So far, nobody seemed to be winning. And he placed twenty on Axel; whatever; he _had_ placed bigger bets on his best friend, and _always_ won.

Hm. That scream was pretty much a remnant from the dream he was having; it was of Sora and Riku coming home to Destiny Islands. Cripes, maybe he should've chosen another shard of memory... but then again, other shards won't have a certain blonde in it. He grinned, reliving the memory. Through Sora's eyes he stared at Kairi, who was really--

"Get the _hell_ away from me!"

His eyes widened. That voice was impossibly female.

Demyx tilted his head to the side as he strung out another chord on his sitar. "Was that Naminé?"

"_Naminé!_" Roxas yelled, and he stood up in a second, and went through the door and out of the room in even less. He had forgotten about the pale blonde girl in the whirl of excitement concerning Sora and his heart. From her previous scream, it sounded like she was being attacked. If _anything_ happened to her--

He cut his thoughts off as he sprinted towards her voice.

"_Naminé!_ What is it!"

His ears perked; it was Sora's voice. She must've walked in on him in the shower. Roxas didn't exactly like the idea; although if she walked in on _him_ being in the shower...he felt his face burn.

"How did a... a _something_ like you get in here!" she shrieked, her voice echoing through the Castle.

"Oh _shoot_," he muttered as he forced himself to sprint faster. Naminé _still_ didn't know what was going on, and knowing her, she'd probably kill Sora, thinking that he's a Heartless.

Sora muttered something unintelligible, but Roxas picked up the words 'going on about' and 'Sora'.

Roxas rounded the corner to where the bathroom Sora had gone to was, and was greeted by an earsplitting scream, courtesy of Naminé, who looked very much panicky for a Nobody.

"_It TALKS! It FREAKIN' TALKS!"_ she yelled, summoning Dusks in a wide protective ring around her. He gulped; he _had_ seen her summon twice as many Dusks (he cringed at the memory of her and Kairi's catfight) before; but she was a powerful summoner regardless of how many Nobodies she summoned. She _was_ the only one who could the Twilight Thorn under control; she was scary that way.

"_Kill him!"_ she screamed, pointing her finger at a very bewildered Sora.

"NAM!" Roxas yelled, skidding to a stop before Sora could summon his Keyblade. The brunette spun on his heels and gasped, relieved. Naminé was not, however.

"ROXAS! IT'S GOING TO KILL ME!" she yelled in fright as she ran to him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. His chest heaved, partly because he was panting heavily, and partly because she was clinging to him like super glue.

"N-N-Naminé, he's not going to--" he struggled to catch his breath. _Why_ hadn't he portalled up here in the first place...?

"Sure as hell no," Sora said loudly, grinning most probably at the scarlet that painted his cheeks. Roxas shot him the Look, and his grin widened. Naminé whimpered, and Roxas put an arm around her shoulders, hoping that she would calm down.

"WHAT!" Okay, she wasn't about to calm down any moment soon.

"It's me. Sora. Remember?" the brunette asked gently, stepping closer to them, which resulted in Naminé burying her face in Roxas' shoulder, which _then_ resulted in Roxas feeling a bit...woozy.

He looked up at the concerned face of his Nobody. He took a deep breath and asked, "Man, have you looked in the mirror yet?"

Sora shook his head dejectedly. "How could I? Mirror's broken in the stupid bathroom... Anyway, why should--"

"Sora? Is...is that really you?"

Naminé looked over her shoulder at Sora, and Roxas could guess that after she releases her grip on her coat there'll be holes where her fingers had poked through. For a girl of her frame she sure was strong.

"Yeah," Sora answered in his most convincing offhand voice (but Roxas knew otherwise--the brunette used that voice whenever he was in a very uncomfortable situation) as he ran a hand through his hair. He winced; it seemed he had dug his razor-sharp nails in his scalp again, thus resulting in a thin trickle of blood fom his hair.

Roxas snorted, and Sora shot him the Look.

Naminé fainted. He caught her immediately in his arms and knelt.

"Jeez. Is she going to be okay?" his Nobody asked, concern (now _he_ was the one remembering concern) creasing his forehead (well, half of it; pitch-black skin doesn't usually show wrinkles _that_ clearly).

Roxas nodded as he looked down at the unconscious girl, and he blew a stray hair out of her face. "She's just...in shock. I guess. I'm going to take her to our room now--"

This time, Sora snorted.

He grimaced at whatever perverted thought the brunette was thinking right now. "We _share_ a room. SHARE!" he said defensively, shaking his head violently.

"Whatever," he replied, grinning that rapidly-becoming infernal grin of his.

"You have blood on your face again," Roxas pointed out, tired of seeing Sora's teeth flash before him all the time. "Maybe you should ask Vexen to stitch you up," he said slyly.

Sora looked disgusted. "Uh. No thanks."

"If you need any help," he sighed, picking up Naminé bridal-style (she _was_ very light; forget her constant complaining about how she was becoming fat), "my--_our_ (he shot Sora the Look once more) room is on the fifth floor, Right Wing. With XIII on front."

"Obviously," he rolled his blue eye (you couldn't exactly roll a Heartless-eye, could you?) and he crossed his arms.

Roxas rolled his eyes in retaliation as he portalled out, opening the Corridors to their room.

--------------------

"Finally. You have decided to talk about this in a civil manner?" Xemnas asked. Hopefully, none of his subordinates would actually die today.

Marluxia glared at Axel.

Axel glared back.

They both hissed at Zexion, who was playing with a lock of Larxene's waist-length hair.

Zexion tackled Marluxia to the ground.

Axel shrugged and joined in pummeling the both of them to a bloody pulp, summoning his chakrams.

Larxene sighed.

Xemnas sighed.

Demyx struck out another chord.

Vexen scribbled some more on the white marble tabletop.

It was _not_ a good morning (not that they _had_ mornings, but they liked to follow outside time) at all.

All the other members had portalled out some time earlier, muttering something about rest and relaxation (or in Lexaeus' case, lettuce, and in Luxord's case, getting Sora to play poker) and getting a heart and how the years have caught up and--

His eyelid twitched. They had just noticed that. The years _have_ actually caught up on them. Take him for example. It had been almost seven years since Xehanort turned Heartless, and he had been stuck at the age of twenty-five ever since a few hours ago.

Thirty-two. He shivered to think what _Xigbar's_ age was now. Xehanort had the sense not to ask Braig about it, so why would _he_ do that?

Aside from that, nothing else had happened to them...well, not right away. He winced Marluxia delivered a particularly punishing jab with his scythe to Zexion's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Superior," Vexen said, not looking up from his hieroglyphical Sharpie writing. "We _are_ still part Nobody; we only have but a tiny shard of heart--"

"Ah, but a of a very powerful heart--"

"--still. Probably the only difference is that we can feel now... I can still stick Demyx full of needles if I want to." The blonde Nobody laughed, a sound that very much sounded like scraping off rust with sandpaper.

Xemnas' mouth quirked in a smile; the first true smile he had ever since he turned Heartless. He gazed amusedly at the scribbling number Four was doing. "What _is_ that?"

"All the hypotheses I will be testing on Sora."

He grimaced as his amber eyes passed over the words 'physical pain', 'drugging', 'blood', 'heart-shard', and something that he dearly wished he had read wrong.

'Key gone'.

It then hit him; the Organization couldn't live with _only_ a shard of heart, of the Key to Kingdom Hearts, nonetheless. How would he put Backup Plan II-C into action?

Vexen made a derisive noise as he wrote an undecipherable equation. "We must find a way to return the shards to Sora..."

"I--"

He nudged his seat a bit to the left to avoid getting beheaded by a flaming chakram.

"_Oof_ Sorry Superior!" Axel called, Recalling the fire wheel. "Won't happen--_shut the hell up flower boy!_"

Xemnas sighed tiredly. He turned to Vexen, who was watching the fight with interest (meaning, with a predatory gleam in his eye). "Do you have any idea why Larxene is...reverting, as she said? Is it true?"

He put down his Sharpie and laced his fingers together. "I have read enough Somebody poetry to know that the heart is a very powerful thing."

"So?"

"Two hearts call out to each other unconsciously...sappy poetry, but true."

Xemnas' brows drew together in confusion, impatience, and irritation. He wasn't the only one who was 'melodramatic' (as Demyx put it) in the Order. "The point."

"You do remember our time, yes...?"

He nodded stiffly.

"You _do_ remember Arlene, then?"

Xemnas sighed together with Vexen. "She...that explains it." He stared at Zexion, who had completely forgone his unemotional image (what else was there to do? They actually _had_ emotions now) in favor of teaching numbers Eight and Eleven a lesson they shall never forget.

Arlene had been a beautiful novice of Radiant Garden, and had been hotly pursued by wooers who tried to tell her that the religious life was not for her. She was firm in her decision, though. However, she had, in a way, grown forbidden affection for Ienzo, their youngest comrade. Now Ienzo, being the bachelor scientist that he stereotyped himself to be, ignored her, partly because he didn't want his image to be tainted, and partly because he didn't want Arlene to get in trouble for falling in love.

_But_... the laboratory staff, especially him and Ienzo's closest friends, knew that the blue-haired scientist had fallen in love with her too, no matter how he denied it.

A stupid relationship, really. She loved him, he loved her. But her vows and his ego stood in the way.

One day, the blonde novice finally worked up the courage to tell Ienzo outright that she loved him, but the boy crushed her with his reply: "I love somebody else."

Of course there was nobody else, yet Ienzo saw it as the only way out.

Arlene took her permanent vows next day, and Ienzo was crushed himself. He didn't think she would give up _that_ easily.

But she did.

Two weeks after that Ienzo was the first to turn Heartless.

Arlene disappeared from the convent a year later. She had been taken by Heartless too.

Sad.

"_Don't call me emo kid!_" Zexion's voice snarled, disappearing into the shadows and choking Marluxia from behind. Number Eleven jabbed him with his scythe.

As soon as they had come together as Nobodies, Xemnas noticed right away that Ienzo, now Zexion, had changed drastically. He refused to be in the spotlight and preferred to work in the shadows.

He never smiled or showed emotion for eight years of being a Nobody. Not even a hint of remembrance. Except when Larxene was inducted into the Order.

He smiled, a slight curve of the lips. But when Larxene's eyes flashed and tried to hit him with a kunai, the smile vanished.

Vexen scribbled some more on the tabletop."You see? Zexion's reverting too, because their Others have deep connections."

Xemnas nodded thoughtfully. "What about Roxas and Naminé? They cannot revert to their existing--"

"--we'll see about that," Vexen cut in. "We'll just have to wait and see."

They fell silent.

"Hey, Xemnas?"

He jerked forward from his seat, and sighed in relief when he saw it was only Sora. "Wielder."

""You have an extra room I can catch up on sleep in?" he asked in a very uncomfortable voice, as if he didn't like admitting defeat that he needed to sleep or something.

Ah. Yes. As soon as the Wielder saw his reflection, it's sure that he'll be asking for a permanent room. He made to stand up and direct Sora to a vacant bedroom when Larxene called out in a very tired voice.

"I'll take him!"

The scuffle stopped temporarily, and a very surprised and frightened expression pasted itself onto Sora's face.

"I'll be fine, Zexion, I'm just going to show him his room," she said quietly. "Please don't kill Axel and Marluxia."

Hey! Zexion was actually surprised! For the first time since becoming a Nobody! The blue-haired Six stared at her before mumbling something that vaguely sounded like 'okay, take care'.

She quick-ran to a still very bewildered Sora's side, and grabbed his hand. "Sora. Let's go. Now."

Xemnas smiled, amused. If looks could kill, it _was_ good that the Wielder never looked back, because he'd drop dead from the combined power of the death glares Axel, Marluxiav and Zexion were sending his way.

----------------------

_Whoosh._

Larxene let go of her concentration as she led Sora through the Corridors. She didn't exactly look where they were going, she just let her feet lead the way. She was too distracted right now.

Cripes. They _had_ to give her a shard. They _had_ to let that idiot Zexion join the stupid Organization.

He _had_ to crush her heart.

NOT. HERS. ARLENE'S.

There's no frickin' way that she'll let herself revert to Arlene. EVER.

"Here you are!" she said, gleeful that she had actually managed to get to the right destination.

Sora looked at her in a very suspicious way. "Uhm. Okay."

"See you around, Wielder," she waved a hand dismissively, eager to get a mirror and start cutting her hair off.

"No way," he said loudly, crossing his arms in a Roxas-like fashion. Stubborn Wielders. "I'm going home straight after my clothes dry out."

She looked at him from top to bottom. There was no way that he'll want to show his inky face to his so-called friends after he saw himself in a mirror. Speaking of mirrors...she _really_ wanted to cut her hair.

"Not so sure about that," she smirked, and portalled out, not waiting for his reply.

A kunai slipped out into her hand and she fingered the cool metal, wondering what she'll do with all the hair she's bound to end up with. Maybe she could get Marluxia to trim her hair...if Axel and Zexion hadn't killed him already.

Shaking her head, she portalled into her room.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: **Running out of time here, yes? I've got class in thirty minutes.

Bet's on whose going to get killed first? Axel, Marluxia, or Zexion? What's on next Friday's menu?

Organization XIII has their shards of heart, but what about a certain memory witch?

WILL ROXAS AND NAMINE REVERT TO SORA AND KAIRI? Impossible? Possible? How?

Questions. So many questions.

Thank you to** Maux**( Nomura _just_ had to leave so many questions to be answered in KHIII...), **Skitty 2004**(Now you know why Zexion has been staring at Larxene -cough--cough-), **darkdude71**(Actually, Sora's not even alive, he's just existing now, like any other Nobody), **twilighttries **(Thank you SO much...XD The story all started with one sketch I made..haha),** hikari-aozora**(it'll all get fixed in the end...one way or another, tragic or not...T-T),** Teh Pwnful Kiwi **(the blondie's Plan is underway...you'll have to wait to see what it is),** Ellie0223 **(The Order can feel, Sora can't, Namine? You'll see)** Namine's Heart**(ah..sorry, but I'm a very very lazy person...Evil!) **Sakura Scout **(I wrote the author's note with you in mind).

So anyway, most of you say this story should be _way_ more popular than Trinity. Then _why_ does this one have so few reviews, huh? I'm getting sad here...

Review. Please?

Flame? Go ahead.

Next chapter's quote:

_"I can't love."_

It's pretty obvious with a capital O. Haha.

Ja ne!


	13. Split

**A/N: **WRITER'S BLOCK TIME! Gah... Anyway, there's a doujinshi of this in the works, it's combined, though. If I don't get too lazy I might get it uploaded right after this fic finishes...if I don't get lazy. Ha.

A note about the ages of the characters. Sora is 14 at the start of KH, right? Then he turns 15 in KH2. In my plot, KH2 takes a year, so in this fanfic he's already 16 (but he's stopped aging anyway, Nobodies and Heartless don't age). Apply to all other characters. When Roxas and Naminé get their own shards, they have two years of catching up on age, since Sora and Kairi were both 14 when they lost their hearts. Riku is 17 years old already. Okay? Okay?

Fluffiness enough to suffocate in ahead, and insane amounts of chapter-longness (this translates to about twenty-five pages of Word)You have been warned.

**Disclaimer:** No, not now, don't ask me now, I'm about to close that major deal about Materia Unlimited...oh. Oh? Kingdom Hearts? No, I'll buy that after I get ShinRa, yes?

----------------------

**XIII: Sp**l**it**

----------------------

Naminé groaned, a sound halfway between exasperation and indignation. She opened her eyes to find a worried Roxas hovering over her like some kind of overprotective bodyguard. "Did I just faint?"

"No," he said sarcastically. "You just woke up."

She tried to swat a hand into his face, but only succeeded in brushing his hair with her fingers. His face colored immediately and he jerked back. Naminé sat up and shook her head, clearing it of any haziness. Roxas collapsed on the bed beside her, legs swinging over the edge.

"Why did I faint in the first place?"

Roxas stared at her seriously, with seriously blue eyes and his mouth set in a serious straight line. "You saw Sora."

"Sora?" She closed her eyelids, trying to remember.

Walking down the corridor... Hearing someone wail something about a broken mirror...oh. OH.

He chuckled beside her.

"You," she started, poking his chest with a finger, "Have a lot of explaining to do, mister."

Wait. She placed a hand on his chest, ignoring the blush that rushed up his cheeks as she did so. There was a faint thumping motion. Almost like the beating of a heart. That not only sounded wrong, but it _was_ wrong--Nobodies don't have hearts. Her breath hitched as Roxas placed a warm hand over hers.

"Roxas?" she asked faintly.

He tilted his head to the side. "That's why Sora looks like the way he is, Nam. He sacrificed his heart."

Naminé felt like fainting again.

----------------------

Axel shuffled through the streets of Twilight Town, not bothering to put his hood up. He was feeling too depressed to do anything except walk. Cripes, when he thought of getting a heart, he didn't expect to feel so damn _sad_ when he did get one.

He, Marluxia, and Zexion called a truce after _hours_ of fighting over a person who wasn't even there; Larxene had yelled at all three of them for being so childish when she came back from wherever room she led Sora to. Huffing, the blonde had stomped out of the meeting room, throwing a few kunais into the wall as she went. Marluxia shot him the glare reserved especially for him, and Zexion just shrugged. They all portalled out at the same time.

Axel made it a point to research each and every bit of past everyone of Organization XIII had (mostly for blackmail material, but sometimes it's easier to manipulate Nobodies if you knew something of their past--and if you knew how _Vexen_ actually looked like before he was Vexen--eww), and he turned up with some interesting stuff. Turned out Ienzo broke poor Arlene's heart...Axel tried to ask Larxene about that, but he almost got a kunai in his face. It was pretty useless to try talking to Zexion back then.

Their past never bothered him since...until now. Gritting his teeth, he kicked a broken piece of pavement, aiming it at a random window. Not surprisingly, it shattered.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and continued walking, angry with Marluxia for acting like the overprotective brother from hell, angry with Zexion for suddenly _caring_ for Larxene, angry with Larxene for, well, for being the object of his unlikely affection, angry with Sora for giving him a shard of heart on such short notice (aw c'mon, there _had_ to be some sort of ceremony or something there, right?), and most of all, angry at himself for getting himself tangled in a very convoluted love...rectangle?

"No, that sounds wrong," he muttered to himself, shaking his head (making passerby stare at him like they'd just seen a freak of nature) angrily.

He stopped suddenly (and no less than three people bumped into him as he did), surprised at where his feet had automatically led him. In front of him hovered the signboard proclaiming that _this _was the 7th Heaven Bar and Restaurant.

He smiled at the memory. Ever since he had caught wind of what that bastard DiZ had done to his best friend, he had always come here right after Roxas did, drowning his depression in a glass of ginger ale (which, coincidentally, if you add an 'x' to it, spells out Axel), and occasionally spilling his guts out to Rin, the bar owner. Rinoa Heartilly was a cheery brunette who had a knack for making you feel as cheerful as her, but she packed one _hell_ of a magical punch.

Cripes; he'd never _ever_ duel with a sorceress again. He almost collapsed on the ground from exhaustion; the seventeen-year-old didn't even break a sweat, extending a hand and a Curaga at him in apology.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Axel took a deep breath before pushing the glass doors open; a drink sounded very good right now.

"Long time no see, Rin," he drawled, grinning at the shocked look on the young sorceress' (she _was_ young; she'd stay seventeen forever) face as she froze in the motion of wiping the bar. However, she recovered quickly, and her full lips curved into a geniune smile.

"Where have you run off to?" she asked, motioning for him to come over. Axel looked around warily; the place was in its afternoon customer slump; its usual occupants either at work or in school, save for a few stragglers. Nobody would actually recognize him here.

"Oh, same old, same old," he sighed, unable to think of anything else to summarize his nonlife in a few choice words."Got caught up in something." Well, it _was_ true, Keyblade Master getting stabbed earlier today and getting his own shard of heart counted as _something_. Maybe not an ordinary something-kind of thing, but still. He hoped Rinoa wasn't reading his mind right now.

Clucking her tongue, she watched him perch on his usual (third from the left, in front of the wineglass rack) stool and place his hands dejectedly on the table. "So...what'll you have?"

"The usual," he said, drumming his fingers on the laminated wood of the bar. "You _do_ remember, don't you? Or are you such an old maid now?" He stifled a chuckle as Rinoa's eyelid twitched.

The brunette pouted, her lower lip jutting out in a thoroughly childish manner. "The usual, then. Stop teasing me about my age."

Axel spluttered his laughter. "You _don't_ age," he said matter-of-factly.

"Still."

He chuckled; Rinoa was almost as fun to annoy as Larxene. Axel cringed; _why_ in hell did everything have to remind him of the blonde?

"You're happy today," her voice cut his thoughts short, the _thud_ of a shotglass echoing in front of him as she set down a shotglass of brandy in front of him. A ritual; Axel would have hard alcohol before drowning himself in vast quantities of ginger ale (on which, oddly enough, Roxas had gotten drunk on--the boy never told him how he had managed to do that). He frowned, watching the amber liquid swirl around innocently the tiny glass.

"Actually, it's been a horrible day," he said truthfully.

She clucked her tongue once again, and Axel felt her chocolate-colored eyes boring into his teal-colored own. "Tell Auntie Rinoa all about it, and she might give you a drink on the house."

"Aun_tie_ Riinoooa," he grinned, drawing out the last syllable. It sometimes seemed like he was talking to a seven, not seventeen, year-old girl. She was good at hiding her true self.

"C'mon, I want to hear about what happened to you and your bedheaded buddy..." she actually _whined_. Axel fought the urge to laugh. Bedheaded buddy? _That_ was a very good summary of what Roxas was.

"Later about that," he snorted, blowing a stray strand of fiery red hair out of his eyes. He took the second deep breath. "It's about a girl...I need advice..." There. He said it. He needed help understanding girls. _What_ was the world coming to?

Rinoa raised a mahogany eyebrow.

"I got a heart today, don't look at me like that," Axel paused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Somehow, that didn't sound right. "Or a shard of heart. Whatever."

"Auntie's listening...!" she squealed excitedly, clapping her hands.

Axel groaned, and laughed all the same.

---------------------

Marluxia wasn't usually the type to spy, yes. Heck, _he_ didn't do the dirty work of surveillance in Castle Oblivion; he had delegated that to a grumbling number Eight, who, by Nobody instinct, betrayed them. Typical.

So he'd call this...uhm. Accidentally-being-behind-the-shelves-and-accidentally-eavesdropping-on-their-conversation. That didn't sound too convincing, but that was the most accurate description of what he was doing now. He pretended to browse a book (never mind that the book was entitled SOLDIER: The Chronicles, and it was amazingly full of grey pages full of text about some guy and his AWESOME long sword and how he kills everybody in a very bloody fashion because of a chunk of extraterrestrial rock...that was something Marluxia's sensibilities were too..._refined_ to read, unless, of course, it involved flowers being used in the slaughter) as he surreptitiously moved closer to the edge of the bookshelf, peering out the corner of his eye.

_Bingo_. The Emo Kid was silently flipping through some scientific journal, seated across Larxene, who was, as usual, reading Marquis de Sade (in hopes of getting her priestess tendencies under wraps, she confided later). It didn't help that Zexion was stealing glances at her every few seconds, and it didn't help either when Larxene did the same.

He cringed. Larxene trusted him, and he trusted her. He protected her like the sister he never had... or maybe something else. Whatever. Right now all he was interested in was stopping Larxene from reverting; the nymph never seemed fond of Arlene anyway.

Marluxia flipped a page to a particularly gory picture of a spiky-haired guy (which he had the feeling that he had seen before) with the AWESOMELY long sword driven right through his chest. Hm. Somehow, he could picture Zexion in place of the spiky kid, and his scythe in place of the sword.

"Uhm," Zexion cleared his throat. If Marluxia hadn't been so annoyed with the blue-haired scientist he'd be shocked that Emo Kid would actually _try_ to initiate conversation. Or maybe it was his Other talking. Either way, number Eleven didn't like it. "Ah--"

Larxene looked up and tilted her head curiously, a look of innocence on her face and her very long blonde hair (in which she _had_ planned to cut earlier, but was stopped by Zexion himself--another reason to kill him painfully) swaying slightly; a look that in her right mind she'd never use.

Zexion blushed deeply. "Uhm...Ienzo says he's sorry," he stammered.

A few minutes of silence, which consisted of Larxene staring at Zexion, Zexion staring at the marble floor, and Marluxia's fingers itching to summon his scythe and deal with number Six right _now_.

Larxene coughed. "Arlene says she's happy if you're happy with another girl."

The one visible eye widened. "Ienzo says there was never another girl. He just didn't want you to be in disgrace; priestesses aren't supposed to fall in love."

Marluxia snorted and hurriedly clamped a hand over his mouth; even if he _had_ a heart, he could never get used to the romantic stuff that Somebodies spouted out.

Number Twelve set down her book quietly on the glass table between them. Zexion fingered the page of his magazine nervously, biting his lip as he waited for her to say something.

"Arlene says she'll never forgive you because you lied," she said stoically, staring right into his eye (or it might be his eyebrow, Marluxia's vantage point wasn't the best choice).

Zexion's face fell visibly, and his shoulders slumped. _Way to go, Larx!_ Marluxia cheered silently, doing a little jig with the ancient tome in his arms.

"Ienzo says he knows that, but he wants Arlene to know that she was the last person he thought of before turning Heartless, and that he deserves his becoming Heartless, because he broke your heart. He says he's truly sorry, even if you'd never forgive me."

Marluxia's eyes narrowed quickly; that change in reference from 'him' to 'me' and from 'her' to 'you' was disturbing.

Now Larxene's stoic face fell. "Ienzo...you...you--"

"I loved you too, and I still do. It was stupid of me, really," Zexion told the floor, unable to look straight at the blonde. "I deserved turning Heartless; I _was_ heartless to begin with, to crush you like that."

"Don't say that. Nobody deserves turning Heartless."

Zexion choked on his words. "I-I'm sorry, okay? Words aren't enough--"

"Words are _not_ enough, yes," Larxene's eyes flashed. Was it just Marluxia, or did her eyes look pretty...green as they flashed?

"--never enough, but still..." He said, standing up, pushing the glass table to one side, and falling to his knees in front of an astonished Larxene, head bowed and--_what the hell?_--tears falling on the marble floor. "Please forgive me, Arlene."

Marluxia felt like throwing up, whether from disgust or from the sheer romanticism of the moment, he didn't want to know.

Silence fell upon them, only interrupted by Zexion's harsh breathing.

"You know the reason why I fell in love with you?" Larxene said softly (and at this Marluxia thought whether she _was_ still Larxene--she obviously wasn't). Zexion snapped his head up, and opened his mouth to speak.

"I--" Larxene put a finger to his lips.

"Just catching a glimpse of you made my day, you know. You were, and are still, one of the persons that strive to make the world a better place to live in..and you have steadfast principles. You're the strongest man I've ever had the fortune to set eyes upon--storng enough to set aside his pride just to apologize..." she murmured quietly. "I'm still mad at you...but I love you too much."

Okay. It took all of Marluxia's self control _not_ to scream in agitation. If he _did_ scream, he'd hopefully ruin the moment and snap the two back to their Nobody personalities--if it didn't, well, the two of them might just kill him and go on with their lives. He needed a Plan (for which he'd search through Superior's trusty filing cabinet later, under 'Nobodies Falling In Love Because Their Others Are In Love With Each Other; Is Love That Much Of A Good Thing?'--Roxas and Naminé had their own folder there, together with Xemnas' laminated lyrics of Kiss the Girl and various cheesy Atlantican songs(**a/n:** once more, I tell you, do **not**sue me Disney, you shall get nothing)), a secret Plan in which he'd show them the farce they were actors in.

"Arlene...?"

Larxene knelt on the ground and threw her arms around(and at this point Marluxia had shredded half the book into pieces suitable for confetti) the stunned number Six, crying into his shoulder as she did. A split second later Zexion did the same, only without the bursting into sobs part.

Marluxia 'accidentally' pushed a whole row of books (of no consequence--it was Demyx's manga collection, some of which had disturbing themes not suitable for a kid _his_ age) out of their shelves, ruining what was supposed to be a happy, if not tearful, reunion.

HECK YEAH! WAY TO GO MARLUXIA! "Larxene, I want to show you---_cripes!_" he faked surprise in a very convincing manner, since he's been faking emotions for the past few years already.

They both blinked and broke away from each other, red sprinkled liberally over their cheeks.

"L-Larxene, I'm sorry, I couldn't keep him under control--"

She shook her head frantically as she backed away slowly. "N-no, stupid Other, sorry Zex..."

"Won't happen again."

"Won't happen again," Larxene squeaked out, before whipping around and grabbing Marluxia's hand and dragging him out of the room, leaving a furiously blushing Zexion behind.

"Larxene, I didn't mean to intrude," Marluxia said innocently.

"Thank _heavens_ you got there!" She interjected in a frightened voice, clinging to his sleeve tightly. "I--_She _was taking over! Marly! Arlene took over! It couldn't have been me!"

"Larx--"

"I _can't_ love, Marluxia! I'm Larxene, not Arlene! I'm a Nobody!" her voice broke. "I'm Larxene, not her, and I-Im staying that way..."

"Okay, let's talk about whatever happened..." He trailed off as they portalled out together in the general direction of his garden, his mind distracted. Where once sapphire blue eyes stared icily back, brilliant green orbs streamed with crystal-clear tears.

Arlene had green eyes, he remembered.

---------------------

"So that's why he looks so...black," Naminé said quietly, fiddling with Roxas' bedspread. It was just then he realized (with scarlet once again spreading across his cheeks) that he had lain down the unconscious girl earlier on _his_ bed, not on hers. And with the paopu-design on his covers (it _was_ on sale; that's why he bought it--never mind that Organization XIII had more munny stored in various banks to count...and never mind that he didn't usually have thrifty urgings to buy paopu-infested bedcovers) made it pretty easy to distinguish his bed from her plain white one. Okay. Moving on to less embarrassing topics.

"And _that's_ why you look so...different," she added, eyeing him up and down.

Roxas scratched his head and lay back (in the space that was occupied by her legs earlier--she had taken to curling her knees and his blanket up under her chin), so that he was lying (it _was_ his own bed) perpendicular to her. "What do you mean by different?"

Well, as far as he knew, he hadn't sprouted horns, and his skin color was the same as before.

Naminé gave an exasperated groan. "You look older."

"As in white-haired older?"

A pillow hit him in the face. "Silly. You look more...sixteen-ish."

He sat back up, bringing his legs up so that he was sitting cross-legged in front of her. "Sixteenish. Is that a word?"

"You _do_ know that Nobodies don't age, don't you?" she asked, tilting her head. "The years must've caught up when you got a shard of heart..."

Roxas leant back and stared at the Nobody symbol engraved on the white ceiling. It reminded him that he wasn't a Nobody anymore--or a full Nobody, for that matter. He _still_ had the ability to portal, and an incredible threshold for pain and fatigue (that he tested, when he had sprinted up earlier the stairs). Whatever. He _had_ a heart...and cripes, he was actually _aging_!

"Somehow you look..." Naminé giggled. "More handsome than usual, I think. Girls would drool all over you at school on Monday..."

He rolled his eyes, hiding the fact that he only wanted one girl to drool over him, and that she was sitting on his bed and staring at him right now with a forlorn glaze over her cerulean eyes.

Wait; forlorn?

"It's...nice to be sixteen, isn't it?" she asked softly, staring at her hands. "It sucks when you're stuck at fourteen years old..."

Roxas' eyes widened; of course! Since Sora's heart had only shattered into thirteen shards, it had settled into all thirteen Organization members...and inferring from the fact that Naminé still had no shard of her own, he supposed that she had portalled somewhere else. He made a mental note to ask her later, but right now, he was racking his brain on ways to get Naminé a shard...

His eyes lit up suddenly; His and Sora's existences couldn't get any more convoluted than they already were, so he's willing to take a chance. "Did you think I'd allow it that we all have hearts and you don't, Nam?" he asked, bemused.

Her head snapped up and her eyes narrowed. "No way. It's okay for me, you know."

"It might be okay for you, but not for me." He replied. "I hate it when I see you sad."

"What are you planning on doing, then?"

"Doing a repeat of Sora's performa--" He was cut off by another pillow to the face, thrown by a furious Naminé. "What the hell, Nam?"

"I'm not worth _that_," she breathed. "Besides, I don't think Kingdom Hearts would take it so well if you try and tamper more with its Key's existence."

"Whatever--"

Roxas gulped; in a span of a second Naminé had pounced on him and pinned him to the mattress with her hands, knees besides his waist. He prayed fervently than no other Organization member would suddenly decide to check up on them and portal in. "Get off me, Naminé," he breathed back, although he could have very easily thrown her off--he learnt that girls harbor grudges for _far_ too long periods of time.

"Don't be an idiot." She said sternly, the tips of her bangs hanging down into his forehead, tickling him slightly.

"What do you suggest I do then? Watch you go all moody whenever one of us is around?" he snapped back, his hands automatically reaching up and grasping her waist. Her eyes widened at his gesture but made no other reaction.

"I don't go all _moody_," she said in a tone of voice that suggested she was being moody right _now_, but Roxas had the sense not to point it out. "Tell you what. If you're willing, I can split your shard and we can share."

"Somehow, that doesn't sound too safe to me," he answered. "How'll you do it?"

"You told me a certain memory of Kairi is encoded in each shard, right? Well, I've worked with memories for a long time now, and splitting the memory into small pieces is child's play for me (to which Roxas just stared at her blankly; he hadn't the slightest idea what she was talking about). When the memory splits, the shard splits too-- it'll then seek another recipient once it senses you already have a heart-shard." Naminé shook her head. "It isn't safe. Period. So I leave you be then...stop being so stubborn."

Roxas took a deep breath and shut his eyes. "I trust you won't do anything to hurt me on purpose, Naminé. Go on then, split it."

She looked at him skeptically. "You sure? Don't sue me if you end up dead."

"Hurry up before I change my mind," he said through gritted teeth. Being in _this _close quarters with Naminé made him want to kiss her. Badly. Hey, he's a teenage boy! Hormones were something that came with puberty! But Roxas had learned the art of self-control (which came from being around twelve psychos for long periods of time--especially Demyx and his obsession with bursting into song every few minutes) along time ago--he's _not_ going to lose it.

It didn't help when she gave a mischievous giggle, her big, blue eyes staring straight into his.

Gah! Roxas! Self-control!

"I need physical contact with you," she said. Roxas rolled his eyes; her hands pinning him to the bad was something that definitely fell under 'Physical Contact'.

"On with the splitting thing already; you still have to tutor me in Lifestream Physics--do whatever you have to do."

Naminé shrugged lightly before initiating physical contact--Roxas supposed _that_ was her definition of physical contact. He shivered slightly and his hands involuntarily tightened around her slim waist.

She kissed him for the second time in a span of twenty-four hours.

----------------------

"So she has a heart, but her Other's still in love with that creep, I don't know, but Larx's scared, and---" Axel sighed, reaching for the glass of ginger ale that Rino set in front of him. Never mind that he had to have bathroom breaks more than four times the past two hours, in which he had spilled out his entire Nobody-to-Somebody transition to a very sympathetic Rinoa. She was good at that.

"I'm inferring from this that you have a crush on Larxene, yes?" she said innocently, patting him comfortingly on the back.

He couldn't help but choke on the ale--it was a far too uncomprehensible thing for him now; when you have had no real emotions for the past few years things such as crushes and love have far long faded from your vocabulary. He stared as she made the stray drops of liquid clump together and disappear completely. If he wasn't so confused right now he'd watch her miniature display of sorceress power in awe.

"Well?" she asked, impatience tinging her voice.

Axel paused, fingers cool as his gloves wrapped around the glass. "What the _hell_ do you mean by crush, anyway?"

"It means, you admire someone," Rinoa rolled her eyes, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and she continued on scrubbing the bar.

Axel gritted his teeth. Was admiration what he felt (not nonfeel anymore, but real, straight-up feeling) for the blonde girl? Sure, she was definitely a hard opponent (their dueling was a constant source of entertainment for the Organization), and he respected that. But he had a sneaking feeling that admiration went farther than better battle skills--maybe it had to something to do with the way he felt metaphorical butterflies fluttering around in the general region of his stomach?

Emotions, Axel discovered, were a very complicated matter. It made his head hurt.

"If that's what having a crush means, then I guess I have a crush on her," he finally said, truthfully. "Now that I think about it, it's driving me nuts."

"_She's _driving you nuts," she pointed out. Axel set his ale on fire (how he managed that--he'll find out when Larxene gets out of his thoughts) and watched Rinoa put it out hurriedly with a Blizzard.

"You _should_ learn to control your temper," she told him off, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Whatever...but I think she's..." he paused. Hm. He collected his thoughts for a moment. "--attracted to Zexion, but it's only _Arlene_ who's attracted to Ienzo..."

Rinoa shook her head sympathetically as she set the still-smoldering glass between a pile of dirty glasses in a sink."That's why she's reverting."

Axel snapped out of his Larxene-full thoughts (ignoring the voice in his head that screamed _AXEL GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF_). "What?"

"She's reverting because somehow, getting a shard of heart awakened Arlene...and Arlene has very deep connections with Ienzo...so it's natural for the both of them to revert," she said thoughtfullly, stroking her chin. She smiled, probably at the blank expression Axel knew he had on right now. "You do get what I'm saying, don't you?"

Axel shook his head. "No."

"Ienzo brings out Arlene, Arlene brings out Ienzo, they finish whatever business they have before they turned Heartless."

He stared at her blankly. No. What the _hell_ did 'finish whatever business' mean? Axel hoped it didn't mean what he thought it meant, because if it did, Organization XIII would be missing a certain number Six at the weekly meeting.

"So..."

She sighed. "I'm sure once that the two fall in love in each other once again, Arlene will refuse to let go. Larxene will be...I dunno, gone forever."

Once again, a blank stare.

_Um, hello? Gone forever ring a bell here?_

Oh. Gone forever. As in eternity. Oh, okay.

OHMYGOD NO FREAKIN' WAY IN HELL THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

"But I don't want Larxene to go..." he trailed off, something that suspiciously sounded like a sob threatening to burst out of his throat.

"Ah," Axel cringed as Rinoa rapped him smartly on the head. "That's only going to happen if you guys let her."

"I'm sure as hell _not_ going to let that happen," he muttered, mind thinking of the various ways of letting Zexion die a slow, agonizing, torturous, bloody, death. "I'd better get started then--" he cocked his head slightly, remembering he and Roxas had once again stolen number One's hair gel (and an expensive one too--with silvery sparkles), "--and I think the Superior would've found out his hair gel's missing now...I'm gonna warn Roxas..."

Rinoa bobbed her head and smiled, understanding his predicament. She never seemed to get tired of hearing how Organization tried to finish each other off, one way or another. "You know where to portal out, right?"

He rolled his eyes and grinned. "Never forgot. See you around, Rin. Thanks for the advice."

Yawning, he hopped off the stool and raised a gloved hand in farewell. She waved back, smiling slightly as she did. Axel pushed the glass doors open and stepped out into the twilit Market Square, trying to spot the deserted blind alley which Rinoa had pointed out to him long ago. It was where he lost badly to her (and where he swore never to challenge a sorceress again--good thing she she told him she never meddled in _their_ kind of affairs, for fear of being recognized), and it was also where it was the most convenient to open the Corridors.

"I need sleep...I'll kill Zexy the first thing in the morning..." he said aloud, not really knowing why he did so.

Yawning so widely he feared his jaw would dislocate, Axel portalled out.

------------------------

"Tell me again _why_ I have to do this," Naminé said disdainfully, staring at the gleeful (true glee now, kiddies--not borrowed ones) number Nine, whose fingers were poised over his sitar's strings.

He clucked his tongue. "You don't actually. You're only doing this because ever since you woke up this morning, Roxas has been bugging you about teaching him Lifestream Physics," he said, reiterating what she had told Demyx earlier.

She grimaced. Roxas _was_ a pain in the neck when he decided he wanted something...and Naminé had no desire to teach him something when he was too busy annoying her while she did. Ugh. The boy would never learn anything when he was with her.

Naminé blushed unwillingly at the thought of Roxas getting distracted by _her_. She quickly quelled the thought by remembering that he only felt this way about her because Sora loved Kairi...enough. Think happy thoughts, Naminé. Happy thoughts.

"Congratulations on getting a heart, anyway," Demyx's voice broke her train of thought. Naminé stared at him. He had turned Heartless six years ago at the age of eighteen---now he looked every inch the twenty-four-year-old, but lacked the maturity.

"Thanks...let's get on with this before Roxas gets suspicious."

Demyx flashed her a smile. "Hit the right notes, okay?"

"I _always_ hit the right notes, Demyx," she grinned back, her gaze settling on the bars of music before her. It was an extended version of that song she sang last Halloween (a very memorable one). Taking a deep breath, she sang.

"_In you and I, there's a new land---angels in flight..."_

She stumbled a bit on the reverse lyrics that followed, wondering _why_ there would be a reverse line in the first place. "_My sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah..."_

She closed her eyes (she had memorized the song anyway, but having the music sheet in front of her looked _way _more professional--and cool) and her mind wandered...to a topic known as 'The Mystery Of Roxas: Why Do We Like Each Other _That_ Way?'. Ehem. Naminé. Happy thoughts! Happy thoughts! She fought back a groan as she realized her all her happy thoughts had a certain spiky-haired, obnoxious boy in them. Cripes.

"_what's left of me, what's left of me now--"_

She frowned. Demyx had stopped playing. Snapping her eyes open, she found a grinning Roxas leaning against the wall. Demyx alternated a helpless gaze between her and the Key of Destiny.

Roxas pouted at her. "Tutor me?"

Naminé gritted her teeth; it didn't help that he had repeated those words sixty-seven times since she had woken up today. Taking a deep breath, she proceeded to let him know that _no_, she had no intention of being stared at for hours on end. ""_WHAT THE HELL ROXAS GO _AWAY"

He smiled even wider. "You sing good."

She willed herself not to blush. It was then she realized that blushing was something you had no control over. Roxas smirked. "Tutor me?"

"AND NO, I AM NOT TEACHING YOU LIFESTREAM PHYSICS!" she yelled once again. The Organization was awake, anyway.

"But you promised, didn't you?" he asked, giving her the biggest set of puppy eyes she has ever had to bear. She could feel her resolve crumbling.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I--"

"Ah ah ah! You _told _me so!" he said hastily. "You promised and said alright!"

"Whoa, you never told me you _promised_, Nam," Demyx said pointedly.

She gritted her teeth (one of these days her teeth will get reduced to nothing as a result of her constant teeth-grinding). "FINE! C'mon Demyx, let's finsh the song already."

Quailing from under her glare, Demyx complied.

"_I watch you, fast asleep..."_

She squeaked as Roxas suddenly portalled right in front of her, leaning on the black music-notes stand. "Tutor me...now?"

Ignoring him studiously, she continued singing. "_All I fear means--_"

It was unbearable. When Roxas gave you his puppy-eyes look, it held you and didn't let go until you gave in to whatever demand he had. Yet Naminé was a girl who had determination (Turning traitor to Marluxia did that), and she was NOT giving in. "NO WAY IN HELL RIGHT _NOW_!"

"Oh c'mon Naminé..." he cajoled further, ignoring the fact that she had yelled just inches away from his ear. "I'm going to flunk Physics if you don't..."

Naminé threw the papers crammed full of notes at the blonde bedheaded boy, irritated beyond the point of reason. "GAH! JUST BECAUSE WE SPLIT YOUR SHARD--"

In a display of Keyblade-honed reflexes and years of dodging indiscriminately fired weapons, Roxas immediately whipped around her and placed a hand (surprisingly glove-free...and Naminé just remembered Roxas had done his laundry today, and his second set of gloves had mysteriously disappeared for the last few days) over her mouth, cutting off her sentence.

"Not so loud, Naminé, if Sora gets wind of this he might go berserk or something," he rasped worriedly into her ear.

Demyx chuckled, watching them bemusedly. As soon as Naminé gets rid of Roxas, she's going to do a little reshuffling with Demyx's memories. She managed to pry off his hand (but not the one around her waist---_hey_ how the hell had she ignored that!).

"OKAY SHUTTING UP NOW," she huffed angrily, spinning around and facing a very calm-faced Roxas. She set about prying his hand off her waist. "GET YOUR--"

She blinked. Roxas had cut her off once again using a way she had never expected (but somewhere in the back of her head was hoping for).

He kissed her, a light peck on the lips. Cripes, he _kissed_ her _again_. What was wrong with the guy?

"Payback, Naminé," he smiled. "You didn't actually tell me you _had_ to kiss me in order to split the shard."

"I didn't have to _kiss_ you, you know," she pointed out, and his cerulean eyes widened. Oops. She hadn't meant to say that.

Growling, Roxas pressed his lips to hers once again. Naminé swore that never again would she let _anything_ like that slip out...cross her fingers on that. Hey, he _was_ practically asking for a kiss, the way he acted all nervous and blushy when he told her he wanted to share _his_ shard of heart with her.

She closed her eyes and kissed him back, her mind's voice giggling inanely.

-----------------

Axel stared.

Uhm. This was a scene he had never dreamed of seeing.

No, it wasn't Zexion kissing Larxene--he _had_ actually dreamed of that already, but in said dream he---no, too violent to say here. It involved a lot of blood and blue hair, that's for sure.

He had immediately portalled in here as soon as he heard the Wielder scream (most probably, he had just realized that he _was_ a Nobody for good)--Roxas did exactly the same thing when he first arrived here in the Castle That Never Was. Axel expected to find a quivering Sora, but...well, Sora was shaking too, okay. But this was _way _more different.

The Keyblade Master was kneeling on the floor, head bowed. Now, this wasn't a particularly different scene, if you didn't take into account that the floor he was kneeling on was full of bloody glass shards, some of which looked painfully dug into Sora's bleeding knees.

Okay. Axel. Breathe. He almost choked on the thick scent of blood in the air.

"Wielder, it'd hurt a _lot_ less if you got your knees off the glass," he said in the calmest voice he could manage. Sora looked up, and Axel took an involuntary step back.

Sora had been obviously crying, dried tears streaked the, uhm, normal side of his face. Axel stared at the trail of fresh blood from his Heartless eye. _Sure_ he knew Heartless wept blood, but he never _saw_ one cry. Until now. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to banish thoughts of running away and extended a (fortunately!) gloved hand.

"Come on..."

It was unsettling how Sora stared at him like that, sky-blue eye and yellow Heartless eye fixed on him, unblinking.

"...Aren't you hurt, or something?" He pressed on, wiggling his gloved fingers. "You look just like you did yesterday. With _those _shards... you should be in serious pain..."

"I'm not hurt, Axel," he suddenly growled, slapping his hand away.

Either he was trying not to make him worry, he was delusional, or Sora had grown immune to pain overnight. First option seemed plausible. Trying to keep the note of disbelief out of his voice, he shook his head. "Don't be stupid; you're bleeding all over."

"I _can't feel pain!_" He yelled at Axel. "See!"

Before Axel could stop him Sora had lunged for a particularly jagged and large shard of glass, and viciously drove it into his palm. Axel had to close his eyes; although he had dealt more serious injuries before (the sight of his chakram buried neatly into Larxene's side was something he'd never forget), he couldn't bear that ripping sound it made. He waited for the Wielder to scream---none. He opened his eyes to see Sora staring expectantly at him, holding up a bloody palm with the even bloodier shard driven through.

Cripes. And Sora was showing absolutely no sign of excruciating pain...he wasn't joking when he said he couldn't feel pain, obviously.

Cursing under his breath, Axel pulled Sora up (with the non-shard hand, of course) from the floor. "Whatever, I have to get you cleaned up!"

Once again, the brunette (half-brunette, whatever) slapped away his hand from his own (with a strength that almost broke it--ouch).

"_What_ is the matter with you?" He asked, bewildered by Sora's bizaare behavior.

"Why the hell are you here, anyway?" Sora snapped. Axel's eyes narrowed, he didn't like the way Sora was staring at him--it almost looked like he was staring at him with hatred. Hatred? What did Axel do _this_ time?

"I heard you scream." He said, deciding the truth was the best way to go. "Roxas screamed exactly like you did when he first woke up in his room."

He frowned. "So why do you care?"

"Uh, because you gave me a heart?" Axel answered, spreading his palms in gesture. Being the only Nobody (once-Nobody) in the Organization who cared enough to have a best friend made him much, much, more...uhm, _caring_ for others. "And because I want to help you cope with being a Nobody?"

Sora frowned even deeper. He wrenched the glass shard out of his palm, making blood splatter over the floor and Axel's newly laundered coat. At this rate, the kid would be blood-less in less than an hour...not that he seemed to need blood to exist, anyway. "I don't need your help. I'm not even a whole Nobody; for your information I can still feel--"

"...hatred? Anger? That's what Roxas told me," he said in a very calm, un-Axel like voice, hoping to wipe that...snarl off the Wielder's face. Sora was _very_ similar to Roxas in more ways than one--they had exactly the same reaction once they woke up as a Nobody.

"I don't need your help," Sora repeated. "For that matter, I don't need anyone's help; I don't want anyone fussing over me when they've got problems of their own."

"I _want_ to help you, Sora," Axel said firmly.

"No," the brunette crossed his arms. He's going to need a lot of laundry soap to get his clothes unbloody once more...and Marluxia's supply of all-natural stain remover was running out.

"Let me help, just this once," he cajoled, stepping a teeny bit closer (near enough to be convincing, but far enough not to be hurt if Sora decided to lunge)...you won't survive if you walk this Nobody path alone."

"No."

Axel let out an unwilling smile; Thirteen did exactly the same, but he eventually let the pyro help him cope with being memory-less and emotion-less. "Roxas was like that, you know," he related. "But I eventually broke down his walls, and look at him--"

Sora cut him off almost instantaneously."Stop it! I'm not him! Leave me alone!" he bellowed. "Leave me BE!"

"You _should_ know by now that _that's_ not going to work on me, Sora." Axel said, now remembering the technique he used on Roxas--be calm and scare the living daylights out of him at the same time. "Now, Sora--"

His throat went dry. Sora stared at him with a hatred that Axel never knew could actually be _felt_...was it just him, or was the black..._spreading_ across his face? And why was his sky-blue eye turning--

RUN AWAY, AXEL. NOW. His mind screamed, but his legs didn't seem to be listening.

Sora lunged--Axel had massively underestimated his reach (he really didn't take the Antiform part seriously), and he reflexively summoned his chakram and shot a Firaga at him, covering the boy in fire. And then he remembered--Sora didn't feel pain--

His eyes widened as Sora lunged right through his fireball. "Sora--"

"Axel, are you there--SORA! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!"

The pyro stole a glance from the corner of his eye, not daring to take off his eyes completely from a slowly-turning Antiform Wielder. A very pale Roxas stood at Sora's door, both Keyblades out and ready to kill.

"Ro...xas?" Sora's voice said quietly, and Axel sighed in relief--seeing Roxas seemed to have made him revert back to his half-normal self. The brunette looked unhappily at his forearms--and Axel winced. They were burnt pretty badly.

"Roxas. Don't just stand there with your mouth open--do you have a Potion on you?" Axel said loudly, motioning to the blonde (still mouth hanging open) boy.

He blinked and sprinted gingerly over the glass to Sora. "_Curaga_."

Axel stared, simply because there was nothing else to do...he had no intention of cleaning up the glass shards--bloody things. The cool green of the spell spread over Sora's peeling skin--and just spread, doing nothing but just...make the room light up with pretty green sparkles.

"Wha..?" Him and Roxas said at the same time, bewildered. Nobodies certainly heal easily...but Sora was Heartless too--maybe Heartless couldn't heal...?

"Uh. Could you please stop staring at me?"

Axel couldn't. It was too unbelievable.

"Man...doesn't that hurt like hell?" Roxas asked in awe, poking the arm gingerly.

Sora shook his head. "Actually, no pain at all."

Thirteen looked ready to faint, unconsciously clutching at Axel's sleeve. His eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Whatever. We have to get you cleaned up."

Sora cringed, blue eye and yellow eye staring up at him pleadingly. "Anyone but Vexen...please?"

OKAY. THIS IS THE KID WHO TRIED KILLING YOU. THIS KID IS NOW GIVING YOU PUPPY EYES. RUN. NOW.

Axel grinned--he really had no choice; Vexen was the unofficial Healer of the Organization (never mind that only happened because he was the only one who had stocked Elixirs that weren't expired). He reached out his gloved hand once more, and Sora clasped it tightly in an icy grip. "Sorry."

Sora gave him a smile--no, a grin. For a while there, all the tiredness from his face faded away, all the pain, all the sorrow...and the original Keyblade Master's goofy grin beamed up at him.

It was a good feeling, to be able to make someone happy like that.

"Axel...Superior found us out again..." Roxas said loudly from behind them. "We're gonna get it when I get back from school tomorrow...I think I'll find a way to land myself in detention or something..."

**A/N:** Cripes...sorry if it was so long...I got carried away.

For those people asking why Roxas and Naminé were acting all--kissy kissy like, and why Roxas was annoying her so much, and why Naminé screamed right in his face...it's sixteen years' worth of hormones, guys. You ain't got a heart, then bam! You suddenly get one, and you're a boy, and the girl of your dreams just got hers too, and they go...o.O. Whatever.

Why is Sora do _darn _bipolar? Why is Marluxia so protective? Why does Xemnas have laminated lyrics of Kiss the Girl? How did Roxas actually manage to get drunk on ginger ale?

The world may never now, but right now, _I_ do. Well, except for Roxas getting drunk.

Reviews, reviews.

**hikari-aozora**(Thanks! Cookies! Chocolate chip this time), **Mayab **(thanks for pointing that out), **Sakura Scout **(surprise, surprise on the quote), **Maux **(glad that was clear), **Skitty 2004 **(I update twice a week, but on different fanfics...), **twilighttries **(Now you know how she got a heart. Namine's Plan? Keep on guessing...), **Ellie0223** (As I said, it's a very complicated love story -wink- -wink-).

Thanks, guys! Please, review, those people who just read... please?

Next chapter quote:

_"You were truly never supposed to exist."_

**CLUE:** No, it's not Naminé.

Ja ne!


	14. Duty

**A/N: **Really. Uhm...it's just that I'm pretty disappointed. Well, -pretty- might not be the best adjective for it...so let's just say I'm disappointed. Guys! What happened to you people? My reviewers? You've all gone on vacation or what...? -sighs- So very few reviews...

Moving on...

Sorry for the delay, got caught up in the wonder that is college...gah. And also, I'm very, very irritated; my English prof gave me a barely passing grade on one of my essays! -bares teeth- But hate is not a good thing, so maybe I'll torch the offending essay later. Hm.

**Disclaimer: **I'm not writing this if I owned Kingdom Hearts, right?

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------------------------

**XIV: **Du**ty**

------------------------

"No way in hell."

"Yes way in hell," the Superior said firmly, fixing him with a glare to rival (but not overcome) Roxas' Look. Axel squirmed.

What started as a perfectly normal (normal for a Nobody's standards, that is) day had turned into a perfectly horrible day. Why? (a) He had to witness Sora sticking a glass shard into his palm, thus resulting in a very blood-spattered coat, which meant the third ruined coat in the span of two days, (b) Marluxia had told him that he had caught Ienzo and Arlene in the act of taking over, (c) he was craving for another ginger ale right now, and (d) worst of all, number One had suddenly decided to make him, Zexion, and Larxene actually _teach_ in Destiny Academy.

Axel dearly wanted to summon his chakram and shut the Superior up, but that wouldn't look good on his teaching credentials, right? _Injured colleague; left him in hospital for a month._

Grrr.

"I am _not_ teaching a bunch of runts elemental spellcasting, Superior. _So_ not," he huffed, crossing his arms.

Xemnas narrowed his eyes. "Very well then...Zexion?"

The blue-haired scientist tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Yes, Superior?"

"You and Larxene are set then on permanent recon over Destiny Academy--keep an eye on Roxas and Naminé, and on Kairi and Riku, and all the other suspicious characters there. Gather info on Somebody Magic and tactics...and Zexion. Stay close to Larx--"

"All right, all right, I'm going!" Axel groaned loudly. As much as he disliked teaching, there was absolutely no way he's going to leave Larxene alone with the cause of her reverting. He had a sneaking suspicion that Xemnas set them up. "But why can't Marluxia go too?" he whined.

"Marluxia, hm," Xemnas stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Good point...Well, he has specifically requested time to quantify the number of flora he has in his garden..." Which, in Xemnas-speak, said that "Marluxia hasn't gotten off his lazy butt and I'm not going to waste my time trying to make him move".

Grrrrr again.

"Well, off you go then," he said suddenly, gaze straying to the limited-edition Sea-Salt ice cream promotional clock mounted above his desk. "Class starts soon; I've already made the arrangements for the..._positions_ to be open and ready for you. Remember; people are suspicious of black coats."

"Okay," Larxene said, getting to her feet and letting her blonde hair fall gracefully to her waist. "Axel, Zexion, let's go already and get this day over with..."

Larxene had protested vehemently, and Axel saw good reason in that: oh come _on_, she was a sadist and she was supposed to teach _Healing Arts?_ Gah! And even worse, she conceded when Zexion accepted the fact that _he_ would be teaching Lifestream Physics! Argh!

He had tried every argument--it would be fine with Roxas and Naminé, but what about Kairi and Riku? What if Riku saw Zexion? Most likely the Wielder would attack him on sight!

Xemnas, however, had easily explained that. Roxas and Naminé _had_ told Riku about Sora and Organization XIII's freedom, and the platinum-haired boy had promised not to tell Kairi, for the fear that she might just go and hunt for Sora herself. That promise bound Riku _not_ to attack Zexion, since that would reveal the Order's reexistence to Kairi.

Axel himself didn't understand _why_ Riku promised that...he never understood Somebodies (not that he wasn't one) anyway.

Okay, but what if Kairi saw him?

Easily explained once again! Aside from the fact that he was to teach in the next level higher than the Princess's, he was supposed to avoid being seen by the girl. Ha. What a teaching experience. So he had to find out the redhead's schedule and try to avoid her. Yeah...a _very_ nice way to spend the day. He could've enjoyed giving Roxas and Naminé detention, though.

"...Axel?" Larxene was suddenly peering up at him, emerald eyes bright.

Uh? Green eyes? Larxene had _blue_ eyes, the last time he remembered. She _was_ reverting. All the more reason to take this stupid job and get Zexion's hands off her.

Speaking of which...she and the blue-haired Emo Kid were holding hands. He hissed at Zexion, and he let go--

...only to put an arm around her shoulders as he summoned a portal.

This was going to be impossible.

------------------------

Lexaeus whirled around, and threw his tomahawk at the brunette standing before him...which, unsurprisingly, he dodged without even looking. Feh. This boy had potential. Well, screw potential--he _had_ kicked all of the Order's butts, save for his and Zexion's. _That_ was when the Wielder was, uh, still _human_. What now when he had turned a very lethal combination of Heartless and Nobody?

"Wielder? You okay?" he asked, seeing the boy staring at his own arm in dismay. It seemed that his bandage was unraveling, judging from the long strip of white that was practically grazing the floor.

Sora stopped short, shaking his head slightly. Five watched, fascinated, as he unceremoniously tore the strip of gauze wrapped around his brilliantly seared arm (courtesy of Axel) without even flinching. Blood slowly dripped down his fingers.

"Good lord," he said loudly, "Why _did _ you take that off?"

He turned around and faced him; Lexaeus forced himself not to recoil. The image of merged Heartless and Nobody still bothered him--seeing a pair of sickly yellow eyes, he was used to, but the combination of normal brilliant sky-blue eye with pale yellow one? It just looked _wrong_. "I can't fight with something hanging off my arm like this!"

He snorted derisively. "It's a miracle you can even fight with your arm like that, Sora."

It was heart-warming and blood-freezing at the same time to see the Wielder grin.

He had taken to teaching the boy how to take full advantage of being a Nobody--from resistance to injury to the use of the Corridors (in which Sora had major problems--he didn't seem to be able to concentrate long enough to summon a portal). It was, to tell the truth, frightening, the way Sora had the best of both Heartless and Nobody. For one thing, the Wielder's complete numbness to pain was unnerving.

Seeing that Sora had taken into staring off into space once again, he attacked. Keyblade Masters weren't exactly known for their carelessness, but the boy seemed to get distracted more than usual. "You need to work on your left side," he called, swiping his tomahawk, "you always leave it open."

The boy, in an inhuman feat of agility, easily flipped over him and rebounded, landing behind him. But Five was not a trifle to be dealt with--he quickly spun around in an attempt to knock the Wielder off his feet, and he caught Sora as he quick-ran...or _tried_ to.

He struggled not to laugh as Sora fell flat on the ground, face-down. "No fair!" he yelled, muffled by the floor.

"Nothing's fair in _this_ world, kiddo," Lexaeus said flatly, swinging his tomahawk upwards in preparation of crushing the brunette's head to the floor. Unsurprisingly once again, his weapon crushed empty floor--Sora had rolled out of the way at the last minute. The boy was as fast as Larxene, he surmised. Maybe faster. Hm. Why worry about that, Vexen was already planning to test that theory out, anyway.

Not going to Vexen...he just knew number Four was a very, very happy Somebody.

He looked up just in time to see Sora quick-run to the other side of the gym (his very own--muscles like his weren't obtained with only the proper diet; exercise was in order) and narrow his eyes. The infamous Dark Keyblade coalesced into his non-Heartless hand. Smiling, Lexaeus charged.

"Hiyaa!" Sora shouted, half-laughing as he rushed across the gym to meet number Five. Metal on metal clashed, and the sound resonated throughout the gym.

"Finally, you've stepped up offense," he happily said, smiling wider. _This_ was getting to be a worthy challenge--a true sparring session, for the boy had seemed to regain most of his focus. "_That_'s the Keyblade Master I know."

"C'mon Lex!" Sora huffed, charging at him once again. Lexaeus set loose a blow that _would_ kill a Somebody instantly, knowing that the Wielder would easily dodge it.

Maybe he shouldn't have estimated so hastily, because his tomahawk's blade was getting dangerously close to the Wielder's chest... oh hell no. But he couldn't do anything--Lexaeus lets momentum do the most of his work, and this time, even if he doesn't want it to.

Sora dodged at the very last possible moment, spinning around and backing out awkwardly. Huh?

"Sora? You okay?" he asked, standing still with tomahawk ready to attack in an instant. Maybe the brunette was just feinting.

From the looks of it, the Wielder was having some epic battle with his mind. He dropped down to his knees, and the Dark Keyblade faded away. Was it just him, or were stands of darkness..._rising_ from the boy?

Slowly, Lexaeus stepped closer to him. He was trembling visibly and holding his head in his hands, bowed down.

"W-wielder?" he ventured nervously, and reached out a gloved hand, his other hand clutching his weapon tightly, just in case Sora decided to attack. His feinting skills were _brilliant_.

Sora jerked his head up to look at him, and he instantly dropped his gaze. In the brief moment his face was shown, only one emotion was prominent, in Lexaeus' point of view. Anguish. He quickly withdrew his hand, and started backing away.

Good thing, for as he took his first step backward, Sora looked up once more.

"Lexaeus, RUN!" he screamed.

His eyelid twitched, wondering what the _heck_ did the Wielder mean by that--and then he had the answer.

In no less that ten seconds, black had rapidly spread across Sora's face, and his sky-blue eye swirled and turned yellow. Both hands became claws, and strands of darkness trailed from his fingers. It seemed like a pitch-black shadow had fallen over the Wielder, and he snarled in a very feral way.

Lexaeus' breath rushed out of him in one great _whoosh_--this was Sora's complete Heartless form, legendary for near-invulnerability and inhuman reflexes.

Antiform.

He backed away...

"Uh uh!" Antiform screeched, cracking his knuckles and flashing disturbingly sharp nails. "You're _mine!_" With that, he got down on all fours, and attacked.

Now, Lexaeus had never run away before in his existence, and he wasn't about to do so right now. After all, how strong could this Antiform be? He _was_ a Heartless, and he had slain tens of thousands of the vile creatures before. What made him different?

Snorting, he charged and met Antiform head-on, tomahawk slicing right through black arm, leaving a gaping hole from which blood dripped in copious amounts. The Heartless didn't even flinch, only stared at his arm in interest, licking his lips as he did.

"Lexy, Lexy..." he hissed, grinning in that disturbing I-want-to-drink-your-blood way once again, "Darkness can't fight darkness, right...?"

He watched in horror as the wound knit together by itself--a few seconds, and the ebony skin was unbroken once more. Darkness rose once more around Antiform, and Lexaeus countered with an earth-shaking elemental spell (consisting of a few fancy twirls with his tomahawk and slamming the metal into the marble floor). His jaw went slack as Antiform nimbly flipped over and _clung_ to a nearby pillar.

Gritting his teeth, he swung his tomahawk over his shoulder and pounded his way to said pillar...where said Heartless was nowhere to be seen.

"Why you little--"

He felt the ripple of air, and looked up too late--he had only enough time to see Antiform's drawn claws hurtling towards him.

Everything went black.

---------------------

Physics.

Roxas never liked Lifestream Physics (or any other subject that involved large amounts of numbers, for that matter), and he suspected that Lifestream Physics didn't like him, either.

"Pfft," he huffed, and stomped his foot. A pair of girls beside him blushed furiously. Apparently, they thought that a seventeen-year old boy stomping his foot in a very immature way was cute. He dearly wished Naminé was here--she was his official immaturity gauge. However, after the..._overdose_ of hormones the day before, the blonde girl had decided it would be much, much more beneficial to the two of them if they kept away from each other for awhile. The blonde had opted to hang out with other girls, and he with the other, normal, boys. Actually, it felt weird--he had been so used to Naminé being there, her absence made him feel odd.

Eheheh...he laughed silently as Naminé struggled to shoo away yet another guy with yet another cheesy pick-up line. Apparently, she had trouble fending off her fanboys. Ooops--there she was, shooting him another death glare. He smiled calmly back.

Well, back to the Physics thing. They had assumed the professor was late, as usual, when some guy stuck his head into their classroom's door and told the whole class to follow him. Uh? Maybe they were going to change teachers or something? So here they were, trudging along the cheerless corridors of Destiny Academy.

He abruptly bumped into the girl (narrowly missing the spear she had strapped to her back) in front of him, and was immediately squished by the girl behind. The walking had stopped, and...why were girls surrounding him? Gah!

So blame it on Sora's shard of heart--he had caught up on a year of maturing. Naminé too--she looked even hotter than ever, but Roxas won't dare say it in her face; he'd get a very sore handprint on his cheek if he did. Pfft. There was another guy pestering her. If only he could draw out both Keyblades (but he can't, because (a) he does _not_ use the Keyblade here, and (b) the only time weapons were allowed to be drawn was in Battle Classes, and Lifestream Physics did _not_ fall under that category), he'd make sure that guy never spoke to any girl in his entire life again.

Pfft. Another one--Xemnas had forbidden him to show more ability than expected of a sixteen-year-old; he wasn't allowed to use his Keyblades here in the Academy. That meant no summoned Slayers, no running up on insanely tall buildings, no cool stunts involving him and large amounts of Heartless (not that the Academy actually allowed students to fight Heartless and-slash-or Nobodies--they deemed it too dangerous), and no seriously wicked moves with his replacement double swords (which, incidentally, still had the same color scheme as his Keyblades). Oh come _on_...these people didn't believe in Organization XIII! Hello? Number Thirteen is right _here!_

Pfft once more--stupid guy, hitting on Naminé like that.

Okay, Roxas, ignore that, she can take care of himself. Breathe in, breath out, breathe in, stomp, breathe out, glare. Breathe in, stomp, glare, breathe out.

He stomped into the classroom they had been directed to--and felt the eyes of the girl population inside on the back of his head. Roxas sighed in relief when he saw a familiar face. Two, actually.

Kairi was looking down at Riku, who was seated on the floor next to her chair and leaning slightly on her leg. They were conversing rather animatedly, and the redhead was absentmindedly twirling a lock of platinum hair around her fingers (probably not noticing the glares girls were shooting at her)...and the Wielder very much looked like he was enjoying it.

Cripes, if Sora saw this now--Roxas would rather not think about that.

Sighing, he threaded his way through the already-present crowd of people, and miraculously spotted a clear area of floor around Riku. Agh. People gave Riku his space; _that_ he knew.

"No idea, we were about to have Physics III when--"

"--some wiseguy calls us out of the classroom and tells us to follow him, right?" he said loudly, grinning as they turned their attention to him. He twitched slightly at the way Kairi was eyeing him, and preoccupied himself with placing his bag in a strategic way such that, if Naminé decided to sit next to him (which she hoped she would), there would be a space reserved for her. And he did this without looking too obvious. Hopefully.

"You guys too? Where's Naminé?" Kairi asked, tilting her head curiously (in which Riku intertwined her free hand's fingers in his own, but the girl didn't seem to notice) "And...what happened to you?"

"What do you mean, what happened to me?" he said in his best nonchalant voice. He couldn't exactly tell Kairi "Oh yeah, I look older because I have a piece of Sora's heart. And he committed suicide over the weekend, and gave us hearts. How was _your_ weekend, then?"

"Don't be stupid--"she started saying, and she trailed off, staring at a fast-approaching Naminé. Hah. She was fending off the same guy again. Maybe a non-lethal encounter (or a lethal one, he didn't really care) would snap said guy out of his fixation with the girl.

"No, I won't go out with you, no way," she huffed, making her way towards them. Roxas once more struggled to contain his laughter.

"If I may ask, what happened to you two?" Riku voiced out, alternating his curious gaze between them. "You look...different. Older. Uhm. I think I'm going crazy."

He exchanged an I'm-making-this-up-as-I-go-along-so-play-along-with-it glance with Naminé. "Looks like it was a success, Nam."

The blonde girl blinked rapidly for a moment before nodding her head. "Over the weekend we decided to...well," she glanced at him nervously. "improve how we...ehem, look."

The two had probably noticed the year that they had caught up on, but couldn'y really put their finger on _what _it was that happened to them, since getting older by a year overnight was something that didn't happen to normal people. Roxas bit his lip; he _could_ just tell Kairi and Riku that their best buddy had just killed himself, but _that_ would be treason to King Mickey's court, for the King had forbidden Organization XIII to tell anyone about Sora.

Sometimes, he wondered _what_ made King Mickey _the_ King, because he sure wasn't exhibiting any kingly characteristics.

"No duh," Kairi was laughing softly.

_Okay, time to throw them off track._ He and Naminé had agreed on this earlier--no matter how hard it was on their newly-acquired hearts--they _had_ to conceal his Nobody's (phoo--that was one) condition. He pretended to be searching for the brunette (although he knew he was probably getting lectured by Lexaeus on the wonders of soy milk), and narrowed his eyes. "I thought Sora had the same schedule as this, Kairi," he said loudly, turning back to the redhead, "but we haven't seen him since this morning...did he come to school?"

He blinked, then dropped his gaze. If there was a murderous gaze, then Kairi had it on her face right now, her grip tightening painfully aroun Riku's hand. The platinum-haired Wielder's mouth twitched.

"He..." he started nervously,"he started journeying again, after the Knighting."

Naminé exchanged a fleeting glance with Roxas, and started twiddling her thumbs, trying her best to look scandalized. "That's a bit rude; he didn't even say goodbye to me and Roxas..."

"He didn't say goodbye to us either," Kairi suddenly snapped, voice dripping with contempt. "King Mickey was the one who told us that he just went on."

"Oh." Roxas was unable to say anything else more coherent. The urge to put a certain mouse to intensive questioning was getting a little harder to bear. Cripes...so the King covered it up...at Sora's expense. Now the two probably hated him more than ever. Roxas hoped his Nobody never learned of this; if he did, he'd probably kill the King on the spot.

No matter how justified it was, it was certainly a bad thing.

"Kairi, stop frowning," Riku said suddenly, nudging Kairi's knee. She twitched, and blushed. Riku nudged her again. She bit back a giggle--and so commenced a game of tickle-Kai-and-see-whether-she-gets-mad-with-me-or-not.

"Hey! Nice one, Riku!" he said interestedly, and then he turned to the blonde girl beside him, blue eyes wide with the puppy-eyes look. "How about I try it on you, Naminé?"

Which meted him a book bag on the head.

"Serves you right, Roxie," she pouted, arms folded and eyes crinkling mischieviously.

Roxie was _such_ a girly name--argh, and Naminé knew he hated it. Gritting his teeth, he pouted back. "It's Roxas."

Naminé smiled even wider, and knelt closer to him. "_Roxiiee--_"

"Shut it, Nam!" he half-yelled. "And give me space! I thought _you_ were the one who wanted us to keep away from each other! Go find a boyfriend or something!"

Her blue eyes widened slightly. He cringed; if Naminé actually _found_ a boyfriend...well, he won't be too happy with it. Naminé was _his_--no matter what everyone said about borrowed emotions and existing Others.

"I don't_ need_ a boyfriend," she said coolly in a slightly miffed voice, lips curving down into a frown.

"Pfft! Hello? And _this_ comes from the girl who almost _killed_ because of pretty boy over here!" He snapped in a low voice, jabbing a thumb towards Riku (who, thank heavens, was a bit preoccupied with Kairi right now).

Her eyes narrowed. "What? You jealous?"

_Perfect bulls-eye!_

Roxas spluttered, blushing furiously. "Na--"

"Alcaia, Dalmasca, pay attention," a male voice rang through the room, overpowering the student's noise easily.

He blinked, and spluttered even more. HUH? What the _hell_ was Zexion doing here? Roxas stole a glance out of the corner of his eye--Naminé seemed to have frozen in place, her cerulean eyes glued on the blue-haired number Six in front of them. He then turned his attention on Riku--

Did Zexion have a death wish? Well, Riku _was _the one who killed (not actually killed, but made him fall into ruin or something--Zexion never talked about it) him in Oblivion long ago! The Wielder's fingers twitched, and for a split second, Roxas thought he'd summon his Way to the Dawn Keyblade.

And it hit him--Riku couldn't.

Aside from the fact that attacking a teacher unbidden would land him detention for the next month, the act would open a floodgate of questions; students didn't usually attack their professors (except for Field Battles). Kairi would inevitably know that Zexion was number Six of the same Organization who Sora killed...and things would go downhill from there.

The King would probably kill them if the seventh Princess of Heart caught wind of what really happened.

"Your Lifestream Physics classes have been reshuffled; Physics II and III shall be merged. All who will be called, please go to room 311. The rest, stay." Zexion tried and failed to sweep his long bangs out of his face--which were on the right side. He then rattled off a list of names, in which Roxas tried to think of _why_ Six was here.

He then noticed that none of them--him, Naminé, Kairi, and Riku--were called.

Cripes...Zexion was doing recon. If the Superior wasn't so worked up over his glittery hair gel (him and Axel were scheduled for a grueling weapon check in Assault of the Dreadnought later; Roxas _hated_ the stupid laser defenses of the Castle That Never Was), he'd probably bring it up. Okay. He _will_ bring it up.

"Dalmasca, Hikari, Alcaia, get off the floor and onto a seat," the Cloaked Schemer snapped, shutting his record book shut. Riku's eyelid was twitching violently as he slid into a chair next to Kairi, and Naminé immediately took the vacated seaton Kairi's other side. Sighing, Roxas resigned himself to sitting next to Riku.

"Roxas," the Wielder said almost immediately, "what the _hell_ is Zexion doing here?" he said with as much anger as he could put while speaking in a lowered voice. Which, Roxas had to say, was quite a lot.

"No idea," he whispered back, careful not to let Kairi hear, "but don't you dare attack him outright."

He growled. "I know I can't, don't rub it in."

Zexion started calling attendance. Riku grimaced, and Roxas had to jab him in the ribs to make him raise his hand. Pfft. He almost laughed when _he_ raised his own hand. Naminé blinked twice before raising hers. Kairi looked very much bewildered as she raised her own hand.

However, the rest of the class were in a very different mood--Zexion would have a _lot _more fangirls after this recon.

"You are merged years II and III; this is class 2A, remember that," he said flatly, writing on the blackboard. "I am Zexion Alcaia," he paused slightly and his eyes flickered in Riku's direction, "and I shall be your Lifestream Physics professor for the rest of this term. And please, don't be so quiet, I know it's not normal for you guys to be _this_ quiet."

"Cripes, and he used my _name!_" Riku said angrily, eyes narrowing.

"Oh great, I get to live with my Physics teach..." he groaned. And he _was_ considering asking the blue-haired scientist to tutor him--hey, he wasn't bugging Naminé to teach him Physics just for fun, he _really_ needed help.

"Aggh, I swear, right after this class--"

"Alcaia, Hikari, detention."

They blinked. Riku groaned. However, Roxas was overjoyed--weapon check was done every month, and today was the scheduled day--if he got detention later, the Superior _won't_ be able to make him go. Haha. Maybe he should go for double detention to make sure. Grinning, he leant back, ignoring Riku's bewildered expression. "Okay, Professor _Zexy_," he snickered, knowing that Zexion tried to choke every Organization member who dared call him that.

"Hikari, double detention then," Zexion frowned.

_Yeah!_ Sitting in a room doing nothing for two hours was infinitely better than piloting a Gummi Ship through hazardous terrain, where around every corner death might be waiting to pounce.

However, he had not expected Zexion's next action--he actually _smiled_. "_Tomorrow._"

Naminé burst into laughter.

Gah! Zexion must've known! "B-but!" he managed to splutter, trying to salvage the dignity he had left. He wished Naminé would stop laughing--oh, the girl would get it from him later, he's swearing on that. After all, they _were_ roommates.

"You too, Naminé," he called out. Roxas grinned at the blonde's shocked expression, and grinned even wider at the scowl she sent him. He buried his face in his arms, trying to keep in his laughter. Ha. Ha. Ha. She _definitely_ deserved that.

"Kairi Dalmasca. Double detention with them," he heard Zexion call out once more. So...he was carrying over recon until tomorrow. Or was his teaching position (at this Roxas shivered) _permanent?_

"Professor!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Class, next time, don't imitate them. Listen to me when I am teaching. You two Dalmascas, Alcaia, Hikari, don't forget," Smiling once again, he turned back to the blackboard. "I'm still finding the most horrible teacher you have to be on duty tomorrow."

Roxas stared. NO. He won't dare. Gah--if Zexion was his training partner, he'd try his best to mortally injure the Cloaked Schemer.

"Okay, let's get started. Physics is not the easiest subject on the planet, but if you understand the basics, you'd understand the complexities. Where did you guys stop last time..."

He struggled not to groan.

------------------------

"243, 245, 247, 249--" Larxene quick-ran down the hallway, ignoring the stares she was getting (but not the wolf whistles--those were a few kunais well spent). She was late. Stupid Academy with huge stupid hallways. If she could portal, she'd actually like this place, but no...

Healing Arts. She, a sadist, was teaching _Healing Arts_. And she _agreed_.

That scared her.

She missed Zexion--number Six had an earlier class than her.

Okay, the missing Zexion part scared her even more.

"251!" She said happily, skidding to a stop in front of a classroom door and hurriedly walking inside. Coolly, she threw kunais into the wall behind the students who dared to whistle--which effectively silenced them.

Her eyes scanned the room, and her eyes fell on a platinum-haired boy. So...this was the infamous Riku, the Wielder who managed to defeat Roxas. Hm. She'd like a duel with him someday.

Larxene cleared her throat, and recited the speech she had gone over minutes earlier. "I am your new Healing Arts professor, Larxene Kisaragi. I'll be with you until the end of this term. And for those who ask, I am twenty-one years old, and yes, I am the youngest teacher in this school. I fight with kunais and lightning spells, for those who'd like a duel, see me after class. I am also a level seven White Mage, a level short of a sorceress. Questions?"

None. Or maybe nobody dared to ask. That was good.

Well, it all _was_ true, except for her surname. She _was _ the new Healing Arts professor, she _was_ supposed to teach until the end of term, she _was_ twenty-one, when the years had caught up with her (the shard of heart was something of a wonder), and she_ was_ the youngest teacher in the school.

Oh. She blinked. Arlene was the level seven White Mage, not _her_. This reverting business was going too fast for her liking.

"No questions? None?" She said loudly. She picked up a piece of chalk, and prepared to teach something she knew by heart (hey, she had one now!). "Let's get started then. Topic's about Intermediate Potion Mixing, and--_Axel_, I'm fine, go teach your own class,"

Number Eight _happened_ to be in front of her classroom door, and _happened_ to be looking at her. Pssh. That was the fifth time he had _accidentally_ checked up on her, and counting. Really, she appreciated him looking out for her (well, more than appreciated--him and Marluxia were the only people she was clinging to in fear that she might completely revert), but she _was_ the Savage Nymph, number Twelve of the Organization! She could take care of herself, thank you very much.

Axel gave a cheery wave, and flashed her a smile, before walking on.

Gah. So Arlene loved Ienzo, which made her love Zexion, but Larxene really loved--Okay, moving on.

"Potion Mixing is something of an art form--"

Pfft. She could never get used to this warm and fuzzy feeling they called _love_.

Warm? It made her think of someone else...

------------------------

"Uh, excuse me?" A loud voice interrupted Prof. Riddel Viper's lecture. Hm. Not that Naminé was listening; she was too busy studying for the next subject. Stupid Roxas. If she failed the 'surprise' pop quiz in Lifestream Biology next period, she'll never let him hear the end of it.

"Yes?" Miss Riddel's voice said.

"I'm one of the new professors--Axel Fukiwara."

Naminé froze, and forced herself to look up. The fiery redhead was standing at the classroom's doorway, holding out a slip of pink paper for the sapphire-haired professor to see. Huh? An excuse slip?

Okay...this is weird. Axel? Teaching? As far as she knew, teaching required a whole lot of patience, and _that_ was something the pyro was in serious need of.

"Dalmasca?" Miss Riddel suddenly spoke. "Your guardian has called for you-- Professor Fukiwara will escort you out."

She figured the best reaction would be to nod. What guardian? She _had_ no guardians...Axel definitely had something up his sleeve. Frowning, she gathered her things, slung her bag over her shoulder (ignoring the stare of the guy behind her), and made her way, huffing, to the front of the class.

"Thanks, Miss Riddel," Axel chirped, before herding Naminé out of the classroom...and into a waiting portal.

"_Axel! Are you insane?"_ she hissed, pulling herself free of his grasp. "A portal! In full view!"

"Of who?" he asked, folding his arms bemusedly.

She blinked. The corridor was deserted. No matter. "But still! What if someone saw?"

"Nobody saw--"

"Oh shut up you two."

Roxas was leaning on the pillar opposite the classroom, expression frustrated. "Can we just go already?"

"What _is_ this about?" She asked fiercely, tossing her head, eyelid twitching. She felt Roxas' hands on her shoulders as he steered her into the portal. Pfft. Surprising herself (and probably Roxas too) she let his hands remain there. Just this once. Hm.

Axel's face fell. "Lex got attacked--Saïx found him half-dead..."

"Attacked?" she echoed. What in the world _had_ the power to leave Lexaeus, one of the strongest members of the Organization, half-dead?

Or rather--she shivered involuntarily--who?

Roxas' hands suddenly whipped off from her shoulders, and he sprinted past her into the Hall of Empty Melodies, Keyblades in hand. "Axel! Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"Huh?" Axel asked, bewildered. He let the portal vanish as soon as they stepped on the marble of the Castle That Never Was. "What do you mean...?"

"_Slayers! Attack!"_ Roxas screamed, and Naminé heard the bone-chilling sound of a Heartless scream. She instinctively dropped to her knees and dodge-rolled to the side--and she caught a glimpse of Slayers being thrown into the adjacent pillars like rag dolls.

Antiform. Sora had reverted completely. Sickly yellow eyes peered from beneath ebony tresses, and sharp claws sparkled in Kingdom Heart's light.

Axel summoned his chakrams, and prepared to throw them.

"AXEL! NO!" Roxas yelled, panting from the effort as the Slayers he summoned Faded. "SORA! BREAK THROUGH!"

Antiform, at this point in time, was advancing towards her--his feral grin suddenly faded, and he staggered.

"Sora..." she whimpered. It truly was a terrifying sight, to see such darkness concentrated in only one being. Sora's light and dark sides were the extremes--he was the protector of the realm of light, and at the same time, he was the most powerful of all Heartless. So that made Roxas the most powerful of Nobodies--

"N-Naminé--" Antiform hissed, falling to his knees. She watched, paralyzed, as the darkness faded away from Sora's right half. The brunette crumpled to the floor, strength spent.

"_Sora!_" she cried out, leaning forward, but Roxas' arms held her back.

Axel clucked his tongue, and shook his head, summoning a portal. "Too dangerous. Let's get him to the infirmary, then."

-----------------------

Roxas had two very bad habits.

He liked to stomp his foot whenever he felt frustrated.

He liked to furrow his eyebrows and scowl when he felt mad.

Both habits made him look like an immature five-year-old.

"Stop scowling," Naminé whispered to him, patting his arm. Since she had no seat in the meeting hall, she had opted to sit beside him. That was actually a good thing, well, to Roxas, it was.

"Pfft," he grunted back.

They had taken his Nobody to the infirmary after taking him down (Sora wasn't too pleased about _how_ Roxas had taken him down--what was there to complain about? Like the brunette could _feel_ pain, anyway), where he was quite thoroughly healed by Larxene (who had already healed Lexaeus earlier--number Five was sound asleep in the infirmary itself).

Sora, apparently, had an irresistable craving for blood--judging from the blood lost by Lexaeus, it was pretty bad.

His eyelid twitched; Larxene had suggested Sora buy blood to alleviate the craving. Pssh. Roxas didn't even _know_ the Nobody Black Market selled blood (tetra-packed and in different flavors, no less)...he had only gone far enough into the Black Market to get a hold of herbicides for those pesky carnivorous vines of Marluxia's.

The Superior had called an impromptu meeting--all very well, because Naminé had a biology quiz next period, and she swore she'd never talk to him again if she flunked said quiz...he'd been bugging her all night yesterday.

"I said, _stop scowling,_" Naminé scowled, probably not realizing she was doing so.

"I call this meeting to order."

The Superior had portalled in, flipping his phone shut as he did.

"This shall be short, so I advise you all to listen carefully. Demyx--make a sound, and you'll do the weapon check."

The mullet-haired number Nine gulped visibly, and he nodded quite enthusiastically.

"It had come to my attention that we have a problem...In sacrificing his heart, Sora had lost control over his Antiform--_that_ is what we have presumed. But in truth, this problem had started two years ago," he took a deep breath. "The Keyblade Master's Antiform came to be only when he first released his heart."

"In Hollow Bastion," Roxas said sullenly.

"Correct."

He bit his lip. What was the Superior trying to say?

"Henceforth, Roxas came to be. When he remerged with Sora, Antiform had been taken under control once again, but he occasionally broke loose. Now that you, Roxas, are completely unmerged with the Wielder, Antiform runs free--"

"He does _not_!" Axel interjected. "Roxas can keep him under control!"

Xemnas frowned. "Exactly."

"There lies the problem," Vexen sighed, whipping out his black Sharpie once again, scribbling on the arms of his seat.

"What do you mean--"

"You, Roxas, is essentially the one who controls Antiform. That was your purpose in Sora's existence. He was never supposed to lose you--Currently, the only way to get rid of Antiform without getting rid of Sora himself is..." Xemnas trailed off, lacing his fingers together.

"...I have to remerge with him." Roxas stated. It was no longer a question, to him. To his surprise, Xemnas shook his head.

"Completely reintegrate with Sora." He said clearly. "You shall no longer exist, not as a voice in his head, not as a silent observer. You'll just be...gone."

Naminé found his hand, and held it tightly, burying her face in his shoulder, a muffled 'no' reaching his ears.

"That goes the same for you, Naminé," he said. The blonde recoiled as if physically struck, and Roxas involuntarily shot Xemnas a glare.

"What do we care about the Princess, anyway?" an exasperated Larxene asked, one leg over the armrest of her chair as she looked sideways at Xemnas. "She's a Princess of Heart, and she doesn't _have_ darkness to begin with."

"Well, she does now, how could she have shattered the Wielder's heart so if she didn't?"

"Pssh," Larxene sighed.

"Light can't exist without darkness, and vice versa," Zexion said aloud, ignoring the pointed stares they were all giving him. "Nobody can be completely light, or completely dark."

"Yes...Kairi's Antiform, if released, is nearly as powerful as Sora's...we cannot afford that," he addressed Naminé. "You, without even realizing it, was the control over this Antiform--"

"Kairi doesn't have an Antiform!" Roxas suddenly yelled, making Naminé flinch.

"The King has ways of knowing," the Superior's eyes narrowed. "Do you not think Kairi should be as...concerned about Sora's being? She has moved on rather quickly, hasn't she?"

Roxas blinked. He was right. It was unnatural for someone, even in Kairi's position, to break a heart so mercilessly.

"So there lies the problem...Roxas, Naminé," his expression softened visibly, "You were truly never supposed to exist...but we must find a way to rectify this situation."

"So I am putting you all on a mission--to find a way to restore Roxas' and Naminé's control, short of making reintegrate with their living Others. We _need_ the Keyblade Master to gain our _own_ hearts, and for that, we _cannot_ have Antiform interfere."

"Meeting adjourned."

Muttering, murmuring, whispering (and in Demyx's case, trembling), Organization XIII portalled out, save for him.

Naminé had started crying softly into his shoulder, and Roxas put his arms around her shaking shoulders, Xemnas' words echoing in his head.

"_You were truly never supposed to exist."_

-------------------------

"Sora?"

Naminé stared. After that meeting (it left a sour taste in her throat, and a large patch of tears on Roxas' uniform), she had decided to catch some fresh air--but seeing that it was raining once again here in the World That Never Was, it was highly unlikely she could. No matter. All she wanted was an excuse to get out of the Castle; everything there seemed to remind her that she was _not_ supposed to exist, her living Other needed her control.

So here she was. She intended to tell the Wielder that it wasn't Kairi who was acting so bitter, it was her _Antiform_ that pushed her through.

The brunette, she found, was sitting on one of the benches that littered Fragment's Crossing, a box of those blood-packs (in paopu flavor, no less) sitting beside him, and one opened and already empty pack beside that. Sora was staring up into the night sky, getting quite soaked. From her perspective she could only see his Nobody side--he almost looked the Sora she knew, the Sora who saved her.

He blinked and settled his gaze on her. She fought the instinct to flinch.

"Jeez, Naminé, you _seriously_ should get something _not_ in white," he said hoarsely, smirking.

She forced a laugh, although she didn't find the comment funny in the least. "Uhm...aren't you going back to the Castle?"

"What?" he asked interestedly, leaning back. "Someone looking for me up there?"

"N-no... but Sora, you're soaking wet!" she gestured wildly, as much as her white umbrella would allow her to do so without getting wet. "At least you should borrow one of Roxas' coats if you want to go out in the rain."

Wrong thing to say. Sora's eyes instantly narrowed. "No," he growled.

Pfft. As far as she knew, Nobodies weren't immune to sickness (as exemplified by the time Axel came down with a very violent cold one memorable month ago). "But--aren't you cold? You'll get sick!"

He locked eyes with her, and this time, she couldn't help but flinch. "I'm not cold. I can't feel how warm or cold it is, Naminé. I lost that when I woke up today," he said flatly.

"Oh."

"And I won't mind getting sick...I supposed I'll be happy, at_ least_ I can still feel something--"

She bit her lip. No matter how Sora hid under an emotionless facade, she knew he was suffering. She herself--she wouldn't know what she would do if she woke up one morning immune to temperature. It was a horrible thought, it was like losing your connection to your surroundings.

A very uncomfortable pause.

"Well, at _some_ point, you _have _ to stop your angsting streak..." she swallowed nervously. "Lexaeus _should_ be up and cooking soon enough, and it's, I think, Salad Night..."

He seemed to consider this, and he tilted his head thoughtfully. "I guess..."

Okay. Naminé steeled herself; _this _was the moment where she would say everything about Kairi. Never mind if Sora would try to kill her after. She could risk that. "So--"

"Now go away, Naminé."

Her words died in her throat as she stared unbelievingly at him. "What?"

She felt pain shoot through her shard of heart as he rolled his eyes. "Didn't you hear me? Go away and leave me alone, witch."

_Witch?_

She fought the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. Witch? She hadn't been called that ever since Castle Oblivion, and she intended it stay that way; the name held a lot of painful memories--most of which concerned the boy who had just called her that. "You need help, Sora," she said in a miraculously even voice.

"I've told you once, and I'm telling you again. I. Don't. Need. Your. Help," he muttered, taking to examining his nails as if his salvation was of no importance. "Leave me alone, witch."

He didn't have to repeat that! She was unable to stop--a solitary tear traced its path down her cheek. "I have a name, you know."

"I know, witch," he laughed, lacing his fingers behind his head.

She blinked painfully. Where was the _real_ Sora--the one who saved them all? "Sora...you've changed."

Sora laughed even louder at this; a very chilling sound. "We've got a bright one here! Go to the top of the class, Nam!"

"You don't have to be like this, Sora. We can help you," she said evenly, fighting the urge to break down right then and there. She just _wanted_ to help, not get insulted! But Naminé was a stubborn girl, and she did not give up easily. "We can help you cope; and we'll find a way to bring you back, we'll find a way, they're all helping--"

"You can't."

"Sora--"

"Sora's dead--stop asking for him," he growled, staring once more straight at her. She took a step back.

"He was shattered along with his heart one all Hallow's eve ago--He died back then. He's not coming back, you're not going to get back Mr. Happy Go Lucky just like _that_." Sora said, snapping his fingers.

Pssh. "Then who am I talking to now?"

"A fallen Keyblade Master," he said in a voice full of bitterness Naminé had never heard before. "Betrayed by someone whom he placed his trust in, and paid for it with his existence and his heart. A freak--a half Heartless, half Nobody, a danger to everyone around him. One who once protected the realm of light, but is now shunned by it. A Wielder who loved and lost..."

Now _he_ wept, and Naminé was shocked to see that his Heartless eye gave out tears of _blood_.

Composing herself, she twirled her umbrella in a very casual way. "We _can _help you if you'd just let us."

"No. I don't need your pity or mercy, Naminé. Tell the others that too."

She groaned. Stupid Wielder stubborness. Anyway, if she stayed here any longer than was absolutely necessary, she might just get angry enough to set the Twilight Thorn on Sora's heels. "I just might give up..."

"Good for you."

She sighed once again. Sora was gone--only his shell, his scarred and world-weary shell, remained. Nothing, not even her explanation for Kairi's hostility, would come through the wall he had put around himself. She hoped that one of them would find out the way to control Antiform, preferably, right now, becuase Sora was nearing the point of no return. "...come up soon."

"Leave now, witch."

Not wanting to dignify him with an outburst, she managed to give him a feeble smile before spinning on her heels and walking away, leaving the broken Keyblade Master in the rain.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry sorry for the delay guys!

Review replies...not now, I have a class in ten minutes...haha procrastination is nobody's best friend. Make it up to you in the next chapter. IF I type a next chapter.

REVIEW PLEASE. Reviews are the only ones that make me go on typing this thing. If you don't review...I don't get inspired to type...and no next chapter. Waaah.

No next chapter quotes, they shall spoil the story.

Ja ne!


	15. Payback

**A/N: **SORRY FOR UPDATING SO LATE. Writer's block has reared its ugly head once again. _Italics_ in whole paragraphs are flashbacks. Rated T for language, violence, and suggestive themes.

**Disclaimer: **The sparrow and the rose thing? I give credit to my friend **Jellyn**...thanks. Kingdom Hearts? That's Square Enix's. The plot? That's **mine**!

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**----------------------**

**XV: Pay**_back_

**----------------------**

"Larx...c'mon."

"Wait a bit," she muttered, scribbling the last few corrections on her third long exam for her Healing Arts students.

It had been almost seven months since the Knighting. Lexaeus had recovered completely, but there were other incidents of the Wielder's Antiform breaking free. Xaldin, Marluxia, and Luxord had all been mauled (for the lack of a better term) almost to the point of Fading, but the Superior kept on saying that it was not Sora's fault. Yeah. The kid almost kills them, and he's still innocent.

They were still searching for a way though...Vexen had even gone as far as hacking into Tron, Radiant Garden's main computer system, but it seems that Ansem had not thought of the possibility of an Antiform breaking free-- that was _why_ he wanted Roxas to remerge, anyway.

"Finished."

"You shouldn't be tiring yourself out," the lilac-haired number Six said gently.

"I know," she sighed, and got to her feet. Larxene never knew that this teaching business was this hectic--and demonstrating very advanced White Magic (like refining Elixirs from a very dangerous Ultima orb--she almost killed herself, and she got one hell of a lecture from Zexion) sapped a lot of her energy. _That_ was saying something, since Larxene simply did not get tired. Even after grueling training every night, she was known as the energetic one. Or, to one redhead, simply 'Sparky'.

_Axel..._

She couldn't help it. She had tried to force herself to walk away or ignore Zexion everytime their paths crossed, but that _thing_ called her shard of heart kept going, and Arlene almost always took over. It didn't help that she herself had agreed to move out of Axel's room and into Zexion's. The pyro had tried his best to oppose it, but her priestess alter ego wouldn't allow it.

Once, a long time ago, she would have laughed at the look on Axel's face as she walked out his door for the last time.

But at that moment, she felt like crying.

...and cry she did. Axel always made her cry. That somehow comforted her; _Larxene_ was the one that Axel always teased, always drove to tears.

She actually honest-to-goodness freakin' _missed_ Axel.

"Let's go see Vandalise already," Zexion said once again, and she nodded absently. Yeah. Sora had pleaded with them (as far as pleading Heartless could go) to cut off his enrolment--he was in no shape to go to the Academy anyway. Vandalise was the Academy Registrar, and that was where they were going right now.

The Wielder had undergone drastic change: he could portal almost as well as them, and Heartless bowed down to him. It was almost frightening, the extent of Sora's powers...and he (or his Antiform) was set on claiming Kingdom Hearts for his own, and Roxas had been reluctant (understatement; number Thirteen had not spoken to them for a week) to take up his Nobody's post as Guardian of the realm of light. The boy _controlled_ light, for crying out loud!

She felt Zexion's arm snake around her waist, and she leant on his shoulder...Arlene was happy, but Larxene was not.

Sometimes, it seemed she was a Nobody once again, and that Arlene was her existing Other.

She wondered if this was what Roxas and Naminé felt.

-------------------------

As the two walked away, a redhead hopped down from the siderail, where he was sitting before. They had passed him unseen, too preoccupied with each other to notice.

Although Axel knew Zexion had picked up his scent. He _wanted_ Zexion to know that he was there, watching for the right moment to snap Larxene out of it.

Problem was, Larxene was almost completely gone.

He could vividly remember the expression on her face as she walked out of his room, things in hand. Cripes, she looked ready to cry...and even so, she was beautiful to look at...

...that wasn't related, wasn't it?

He mentally kicked himself as he watched the two black-clothed figures disappear in the distance.

Was Axel...jealous?

As much as he'd hate to admit it, _yes_, he was. He realized that he missed Larxene, when it was too late--when she was in Zexion's clutches. He knew he had no right to interfere with Ienzo and Arlene, but geez...couldn't the two love each other in their afterlives or something?

The dismissal bell rung. Axel walked back inside his classroom, where he was giving his Advanced Spellcasting class a theoretical examination. "Okay, guys, pass your papers in an orderly fashion, meaning I don't care how you pass it as long as I get it," he droned, to the laughter of his students. He relaxed, and allowed himself to smile.

Professor Fujiwara was now known as _the_ professor to have. Aside from the fact that he was a good teacher (that was not bragging!), he was also easygoing and liked to make his lessons...interesting. Of course, that incident wherein he burned down Pavilion III of the Spellcasting building...that was an accident.

Wooh. That actually felt good.

He shuffled the papers into a semblance of a pile, and yawned. "See you tomorrow--don't forget to practice your Firagas."

A general murmur of assent, before the students poured out of the classroom. He wondered what would've happened if Sora was his student; he'd _love_ giving the Wielder detention. Sora was improving now; he could actually portal okay. If you didn't count the event wherein he portalled right into the Pride Lands (smack dab in the middle of a pack of hungry hyenas) when he was supposed to portal to Fragment Crossing. Or even worse, when he portalled into the shower when he was supposed to portal into his room...the bad thing was, Xigbar _was_ using the shower at that point in time.

And from then on, for a month, Sora kept bursting into fits of laughter everytime he saw Xigbar, and the eyepatched Nobody retaliated everytime with a bullet from his katar.

It was refreshing to hear Sora laugh, at the very least. The boy had been more angsty than Roxas even was. Maybe the fact that he was half-Heartless counted for something.

- - - - -

_"Axel?"_

_The pyro looked over his shoulder inquiringly at the brunette sprawled across the white couch of the Castle Library. He slid the book he was browsing back into the shelf and continued searching. "Yeah?"_

_"Ever heard of the story of the sparrow and the white rose?"_

_He groaned exasperatedly. "What kind of title is that?"_

_Sora chucked the throw pillow at him, making him turn around. "You idiot, Axel...that's not the title, it's the subject of the story!"_

_"So...what's your point?"_

_It was the Wielder's turn to groan._

_Axel laughed. "You're hopeless."_

_"I don't hope, Ax," he said pointedly. _

_"Exactly."_

_Sora groaned once again. "Moving on...I take that as you haven't heard of the story before."_

_He shook his head, fingering the spine of a book titled "The SOLDIER Project" (which, by the looks of it, had been torn apart and hastily put back together by the combination of super glue and scotch tape). Hm. That looked like a sakura petal caught in the glue..._

_"Well...I just thought of it right now. You see, there's this sparrow and white flower."_

_Axel rolled his eyes, unseen by the Wielder. "Obviously."_

_"Shut up. So then, the sparrow falls in love with the white rose--"_

_"Oh cripes, cross-breeding?" The remark was rewarded by another pillow thrown squarely into the small of his back. "Okay, shutting up now," he chuckled._

_"--and so one day the sparrow proposes to the white rose. Then the white rose says that she'll marry the sparrow once she turns red--that's the time that she'll love him."_

_Axel shifted position, leaning against the bookshelf, wondering why the Wielder would choose to tell this story. Mildly interested, he urged Sora to continue._

_For some reason, the brunette bowed his head, clutching a white pillow to his chin. He actually looked cute that way; curled up into a ball like that. Hm. "So," Sora hesitated slightly, but not enough to go unnoticed, "...the sparrow then tears himself apart and spreads his blood on the rose, and it turned red."_

_He stared at the Wielder wordlessly, and all of a sudden, felt very sorry for the fallen Keyblade Master in front of him._

_"...then the white rose fell in love with the sparrow, but the bird was no longer alive..." Sora half-whispered, staring at the glass top of the coffee table in front of him. _

_"Sad," he remarked, unfolding his arms and returning to scanning the bookshelf. If he wasn't mistaken, it was very much similar to Sora's position right now--sacrificing to save his loved ones, and dying for them. Only difference was, the white rose, even though it had been stained by the sparrow's blood, had forgone the bird's sacrifice--even searching for another love._

_As he said, it was sad._

_Sighing, he strove to ignore the soft sobbing sounds, muffled by a white pillow._

_- - - - -_

The Wielder had taken to pouring his frustrations into training sessions, and into cleaning up those cardboard tetra packs he always left lying around. Seriously. Tetra-packed blood? Well, as long as it kept Sora's Heartless bloodlust under wraps, it was fine. It just freaked him out that a sixteen-year-old kid would be drinking blood -- and Axel had a hunch it was from some random blood bank in Radiant Garden.

He shuffled the papers once more, and got to his feet. Tucking the sheaf of pulp into his folio, he shuffled out of the door in the direction of the cafeteria.

-----------------------

"Seriously. You didn't actually have to kill him," Zexion said flatly, staring at Professor Vandalise's lifeless body on the floor.

Prod turned to push, and push came to shove, and shove came to stab, and stab came to kill.

Professor Vandalise, as expected, didn't believe that Sora was never going to the Academy again. He supposed the Registrar was reluctant to do so, since Sora _did_ hold a Royal Treasury Account...munny worked wonders. So him and Larxene had to do it the hard way: by force.

There lay the problem, for the brunette middle-aged professor did not believe that they were number Six and Twelve of Organization XIII, even after their displays of skill. Weapons were drawn, and mockeries were exchanged. The man even had the gall to insult Larxene--but the blonde took it in stride, and summoned Sora herself. It _would_ have saved them a whole lot of trouble if the Wielder had gone and said it himself, but Sora opposed the idea vehemently, saying that if Vandalise saw him, the professor would attack him on sight.

...and that was what happened. As soon as Sora was dragged out of the portal by the blonde, Vandalise had fainted.

Sora then got a sword in the stomach for reviving him.

And as expected, the brunette killed Professor Vandalise. The boy had no remorse, either.

Said boy now rolled his normal eye and stuck out his tongue childishly at Zexion. "What? He attacked me first."

"But not to kill," Larxene pointed out, shaking her head gracefully and letting the professor's wrist drop to the floor. The corners of her mouth curled slightly.

"He thought I was a Heartless, Larx!" Sora defended, wiping down his Dark Keyblade on Vandalise's blood-soaked shirt. He groaned, seeing that it actually bloodied the Keyblade even more.

"Sora, you _are_ half-Heartless," Zexion grunted, taking hold of Larxene by both wrists and helping her step over the body, ready to catch her if she slipped on the blood as she did so. The blonde gratefully fell into his arms and beamed up at him.

Zexion felt like dancing for joy. Wooh. Larxene smiling up at him--_no_, Arlene smiling up at him, and Ienzo was the one who was happy! Not Zexion! It was pretty sad to know that Larxene had Axel and Marluxia to stop her from reverting completely, while he, number Six, had no-one.

Sad.

Sora muttered something incoherent as he dismissed his Keyblade, and took out another tetra pack of paopu-flavored blood. Stabbing the straw through the top, he took a long sip before staring forlornly at them. "So...what do we do with this?"

Zexion blinked. "It's your mess. You fix it."

"Awww," the Wielder scratched his head resignedly. Zexion picked off a random sheet of paper and started wiping the soles of his shoes with it, 'cause bloody footprints screamed 'LOOK AT ME I KILLED SOMEBODY HAHA'. Larxene followed suit, clutching to his sleeve in order to keep her balance as she lifted one foot. He opened a small window to the Corridors and threw their scrunched balls of bloody paper in--some Dusk was bound to clean it up, anyway.

"So..." Sora grinned toothily. "Where're you two going? Getting a room or something...?"

_What the hell?_

"Maybe..."

Stunned, he stared at Larxene, who said that with a touch of amusement. Pink tinged her cheeks. "Larxene!" he exclaimed. "...you're a priestess!"

Uh. _Not_ Larxene! Arlene! He opened his mouth to correct himself, but Larxene cut him off. "Not anymore. Besides, I'm with a guy whose nickname is Zex--"

He felt fire on his cheeks. "Gah! Food! We're going to _eat out!"_

Larxene beamed up at him once more, and giggled. She dragged him to the door of Vandalise's office. "See you, Wielder!"

Zexion threw the most murderous look he could muster at a smirking Sora. "...Sora, if you're my partner in training tonight, you're dead."

She tugged on his hand, and Zexion huffed, stomping out.

"I'm already dead, Zexy!" he heard Sora yell cheerfully. "Have fun with Larxene!"

Oooh, if he could only get his hands around that boy's neck...

"What, Zexion?" Larxene said innocently, bouncing beside him. "It's not like we're highschoolers or something...we're technically adults now, so..."

"_Larxene._"

She laughed again, and she was giggly all the way to the faculty room.

------------------------

"...I hate him, I'm never talking to him, ever."

Naminé rolled her eyes, and glanced sideways at the brunette pouting beside her. "Yuna, I'm sure Tidus didn't mean it."

Yuna shook her head, beads clinking as she did. "He's so stupid."

"Yah, boys are stupid," Selphie put in.

The three of them nodded simultaneously in agreement.

"So, about that field trip..."

"Overnight, right?"

Naminé tuned herself out of her friends' conversation (which consisted of a very animated Selphie and a enthusiastic Yuna), finding that she missed the presence of a certain--

Gah.

Boys are stupid.

...no. Naminé, you're the stupid one. You were perfectly happy with Roxas around, why'd you have to be so freakin' stubborn and push him away?

She shook her head vehemently, trying to clear her thoughts. Roxas was a friend. A best friend. But no way a _boy_friend. He only loved her because Sora loved Kairi, no matter what he said. That was the truth.

Naminé had dated during the past seven months, and so far, none had lasted more than a month. One of the guys only wanted to bed her, and it took a furious Roxas to get the guy off her trail. Of course, Roxas had been mad at her for going out with the pervert in the first place, but he quickly got over it--asking her for help in Physics once more.

Well, the blonde was getting better at Physics. If before he was passing the subject by the skin of his teeth, Roxas was now passing the subject with not-so-flying colors, but still! In return, he helped her in her worst subject: World's Literature. How Roxas managed to memorize at least thirty poems in one sitting was beyond her comprehension.

The boy was probably hanging out with Tidus right now...

Gah! Stop thinking about him!

"...I've never been to Twilight Town," Selphie was saying. "How about you, Nam?"

"Uh?" she blinked. "...yeah, I've been there."

Hell yeah! That's where she had worked out her Plan! She had spent many sleepless nights on that Plan, but she had finally finished it two weeks ago. The scheduled Twilight Town field trip tomorrow was perfect, yes, it was.

"...how're we supposed to explain why night never falls on Twilight Town?" Yuna asked, hitching her backpack higher up her back.

"The name should be enough of an explanation," Naminé said flatly. "Geez...why do we even _have_ to explain--"

_KaiKai. Kill him._

She froze. Kairi's Antiform. She could sense it--

"...Nam?"

"Gotta go!" she squeaked out, before quick-running down the hall, oblivious to the stares of the people she had rushed past. She was quick-running with the speed she had been ordered never to use in public, her Nobody speed. But if Kairi was as angry as Naminé thought she was, she'd actually have go against Xemnas' orders.

_KaiKai. Kill him._

_--------------------------_

It was not a good day. Axel had felt it. He should've curled up under his comforter and slept the day away. Yeah.

But going against his instincts, he went to work. And look what it got him.

Zexion and Larxene. PDA. And now...the very redhead he had been avoiding.

He was just walking along the corridors, chatting with some of his older students and joking along, when he made the mistake of taking the shortcut to the faculty room...across the school quadrangle.

He didn't know it was a mistake back then, but now, as he stared at a very furious, and very powerful, Kairi.

Beside her, that other Wielder, Riku, was trying to restrain her, but the Princess was furious. Yeah, he repeated that for emphasis. Cripes, he couldn't fight the girl here. He'd lose for sure if he restrained his Nobody skills, such as portalling.

"_What are YOU doing here!"_

Axel swallowed nervously, and he lookied discreetly at Riku, praying fervently that he would get the hint and stop his girlfriend (yes, Axel knew that, the whole Organization knew that, but they had enough sense not to tell Sora) from saying too much. "Well, Alcaia, I think your..._girlfriend_...is going a bit berserk here..."

"You bastard! You _were the one who kid--"_

He raised a hand to stop her words, hoping that it would work. "Now, now, Dalmasca, keep it down." _And shut the hell up before Xemnas decides to kill me, _he added mentally.

The platinum-haired Wielder put restraining hands on her shoulders, but she pulled away roughly. She whirled around and faced her boyfriend, gesturing wildly. "Riku! He was the guy who took me to the Castle That Never Was!" she was almost hysterical by this time. "God, he was the reason me and Naminé almost got killed!"

"Kairi--" Riku trailed off abruptly, because the Princess had faced him again. A circle of light flared from underneath her feet, and the outline of Kingdom Hearts carved itself a ribbon of light on the concrete. Her eyes flashed--she was really _mad_.

_Oh crap. _Okay, Axel, think. (a) Stand here and do nothing, 'cause Xemnas had forbidden him to use his chakrams--thusly resulting in a very dead Axel, or (b) Summon his chakrams and attack Kairi--thusly still resulting in a very dead Axel, only because Riku would most probably kill him for attacking his girlfriend, or (c) Summon his chakrams and kill the both of them before they got to kill him first--thusly still resulting in a very dead Axel, 'cause then both King Mickey and Xemnas would kill him.

He's screwed.

Panicking, he summoned his chakrams anyway, and gathered strength for a Fire Wall.

"RELEASE!"

Cursing under his breath, he stopped summoning fire. Cripes. About time!

Naminé ran up to them, and before she could catch her breath, had placed her hands firmly on her Other's shoulders. Kairi swayed on her feet, and the circle of light vanished immediately.

"Professor Fujiwara!" she yelled in a voice that clearly stated 'PLAY ALONG WITH THIS AXEL OR YOU'RE REALLY SCREWED'. "What a demonstration!"

Beside her, Riku nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Great magic there, prof!"

For a split second, Axel stared at them blankly. Then Naminé flashed him with one of her infamous death glares.

_I hate girls._

"Yes, yes, Miss Dalmasca...your cousin shows great reflexes! Uh, well, guys, if you want another demonstration, follow me!"

It could be called a stampede, what happened after. After seeing Professor Fujiwara whip out his _seriously_ cool true weapons (it helped that he had just polished his chakrams last night), he had something of a cult following now. Kairi was looking terribly woozy right now, and Axel decided this was the right time to hightail it out of the Princess' sight.

------------------------

"Take care of your girlfriend!" Naminé hissed, her eyebrows furrowing at Riku. The platinum-haired Wielder blinked for a few seconds before shaking his head vehemently. He gently eased Kairi from her grip, and her Other fell easily into his arms.

"You chained this memory down?" he asked worriedly, lowering his voice.

_No duh, Riku._ She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Didn't have a choice."

He bit his lip, stroking Kairi's hair absentmindedly. "How long are we going to keep this up?"

"As long as the King says so," she murmured, looking around worriedly at the volumes of people who have seen Axel's chakrams...oh cripes, Xemnas was going to be pissed. People were whispering among themselves, and openly praising a still woozy Kairi for her display of power.

A flash of black...

Oh no.

"Uh, Riku...I gotta run," she said slowly. Her mouth dried up, and she fought to talk coherently, "I have, uh, a book to return! Yeah! Uhm...see you!"

She wanted to just _run_ now--never mind she had some lame excuse; she'd rectify it later. She spun on her heels and sprinted away, feeling Riku's bewildered stare behind her back.

Naminé. She was sure she had seen Sora in the crowd--perfectly sky blue eye cold and furious.

It was only after she had ran into the cool white shade of concrete she realized she had run into the wrong building.

----------------------

"Roxas! Slow down!"

Grinning, the blonde bedheaded boy stomped on the southern end of his skateboard, making it flip into the air. He leapt in time to avoid falling and grabbed his skateboard before it hit the pavement.

Which earned no less than five girls squealing in delight.

"Whoa, Rox," Tidus ran up to him, and slapped him on the back. "Stop being such a show-off."

He rolled his eyes and smirked, hauling the skateboard higher. "Look who's talking, Ti. Who was the guy who kept on pulling off his Jecht shot, huh?"

"Shut up," Tidus groaned, slapping him playfully at the back of the head.

You could almost hear the fangirls go 'awww'.

"Let's get to the stupid cafeteria already," Roxas smiled, setting down his skateboard once again.

He had found out only a month ago that skateboarding was actually allowed in the Academy...that was almost a year of school that he could've spent skateboarding. Whatever.

School had been interesting lately--Larxene was well-known for being the highest level White Mage in the Academy (that Roxas doubted--there was no way in hell sadist Larx could be so...priestess-like). Axel was known as the best professor to have for the students of Year III--too bad he was only Year II. Zexion was a pretty good professor. Roxas was actually getting the basics of Physics, without needing to ask for Naminé's help.

Uh.

Not going there, 'cause he'd space out again.

Him and Naminé had...not been together. As opposed to the earlier part of the school year. He missed her.

_not going there_

"Rox, stop spacing out on me," Tidus growled beside him.

"Yeah. Okay. Sorry."

Shaking his head, Roxas hopped on his skateboard and pushed off into the corridors, into the quad, where he saw a sight that he didn't know whether to yell, cringe, smirk, or grin.

Riku had, once again, had his arms wrapped around a heavy-lidded Kairi, and..._cripes_ it seemed the other Wielder was actually _nipping_ at the Princess' ear...?

Talk about PDA. The two had gotten together about a month after the disastrous Knighting, and they had been inseparable ever since. It kind of made him jealous...he often saw himself and Na--

Shutting up now.

Sighing, he pushed off his skateboard into their direction. "OI! Riku, Kai! Stop the PDA!" he skidded to a stop beside them, and Riku glared at him. Kairi blushed furiously. "Some of us would _not_ want to lose our appetites."

"Way to go Rox! Yeah!" Tidus chuckled, running up to them.

Roxas couldn't stop himself. "Dude, you're just saying that 'cos Yuna's not talking to you."

"Thanks for reminding me," the blonde replied in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

"...so Rox," Riku raised his voice, "Where're you two going?"

"To the cafeteria," he answered, jerking a thumb towards the white building. He grinned, and pointed to Tidus. "He's gonna see if Yuna's there."

"I was not!" he shot back.

"Admit it!"

"I was not!"

"Lover boy!"

Roxas laughed, for the sake of laughing, for the hairs on the back of his neck had just stood up in an ovation to the fear that crawled through his spine--somehow, Sora, his Nobody was watching. He sneaked a look back. Only students--only students...

He forced himself to laugh, praying fervently that he was just imagining things.

-------------------------

"Let me through, let me through," Axel said hurriedly, shouldering his way through the commotion in Pav I--the administration building. There was a huge buildup of students in the corridors, and some had their weapons drawn. "What the heck happened?"

"Professor Fujiwara!"

"Prof!"

"Sir...!"

Elazul, a student of Larxene's (not that Axel had been stalking Larxene while she was teaching) appeared at his side. "Sir! Professor Vandalise...he's been attacked!"

Axel's eyes widened, and he power-walked his way through. A crowd of people had formed outside the Academy Registrar's door, but none had dared to come inside. Grimacing, he stepped through the threshold, and raised an eyebrow.

Blood had been spattered everywhere, and the brunette Registrar was lying in a pool of his own dark blood. It was a familiar scene to Axel--it was the usual setup where Sora left his victims. Bloodied, and dead. Well, in Organization XIII"s case, almost dead. The Wielder probably had issues with murder--he himself_ had_ been killed in a bloody skrimish with his Antiform.

So Sora killed someone, for the first time. His sanity had probably snapped.

"The professor's dead," he said simply. "People, move along, nothing to see--"

"_Heartless!"_ A shrill scream had pierced the afternoon air--and the crowd stampeded. Weapons flashed, and spells were cast. He sprinted out, summoning his chakrams as he went. "Students! Defend yourselves! Paladins, to your posts!" he yelled out instructions as he sprinted to the quad--a portal had just been summoned there.

Neoshadows suddenly rose from the ground, and chaos broke loose.

_Sora had lost control...AGAIN._

Sighing, Axel plunged into the Heartless fight, wondering why Sora would kill Vandalise in the first place.

-----------------------

"Reflect!" Roxas yelled, deflecting a Heartless claw as it slashed blindly at him. He dearly wished he could summon his Keyblades, but no dice. Thus he was forced to use these two crummy shortswords he had for replacement.

For the second time in Destiny Academy history, the Heartless alarm had been raised. Paladins rushed forth, slaying Heartless in an attempt to protect the students. A freshman had burst into the cafeteria earlier, screaming Heartless at the top of his terrified voice.

Pssh...Roxas had left an unfinished tuna sandwich on their table. If he could only _be_ number Thirteen, just for five minutes, he might be able to salvage the poor slices of bread. Hey, unlike any other item on the cafeteria menu, he deemed the sandwich tasty.

Sora's presence was gone; gone in a portal summoned right before the Heartless erupted.

Roxas knew Sora had seen Riku and Kairi, and he completely understood Sora's feelings. Cripes, but _why_ did his Nobody have to vent out his anger on Destiny Academy? Didn't he feel at least guilty--oh. Heartless and Nobodies don't feel remorse.

He sighed as he whipped around, slashing at no less than three Neoshadows as he did. Sora was a killing machine once he went Antiform--he was reminded again of Xemnas' recent lecture. Sora _needed_ him; it was either Roxas dies, or the known universe dies. Cripes.

"Freakin' Heartless!" he bellowed, voice lost in the din of Heartless and people's screams. Gritting his teeth, he drove both swords cleanly into the ground in an X, and drew on his element. People wouldn't notice who did it, anyway.

"Light!" he said firmly, and the ground erupted in pillars of light, which imploded simultaneously. The force knocked him off his feet and onto his back.

"...Roxas," a voice said, and he found himself pinned down by the shoulders to the floor, and staring into a furious Naminé's face. "You idiot. What if someone saw you? What if--"

"No one saw me; they're too confused to see anything!"

"Still!"

He pushed the blonde girl's hands off him, and kept her wrists in a tight one-fisted grip as he stood up and surveyed the damage. The Heartless were gone, and people were staring around, bewildered.

"Let me go, Roxas!" Naminé squealed, but he kept his hold on her wrists.

His eyebrows furrowed. Aside from the pavement (which was cracked wide open), the benches, and a few bloody students, he could see no permanent damage. Of course, it would take time to see that, since Heartless left no corpses once they took a heart. There might be an increase in Nobody population today.

Some of the students were lying unconscious, while others still held their weapons at the ready, staring around warily. Some were crying openly, and professors were hurrying around, checking if everyone was all right.

"...did you see that?"

"Light!"

"It came from Roxas..."

"...no, from Kairi! Didn't you see--"

"Kairi saw Axel," Naminé said nonchalantly. "Almost killed him, but I chained down her memory as fast as I could," she continued in a bored voice. "Now would you please get your hands _off me_."

Roxas huffed, and let go. The blonde girl eyed him angrily, rubbing at her wrists.

"Hey," Riku came up to them, Kairi in tow. Aside from a few cuts and bruises (and a whole lot of tousled hair), they were fine. Kairi was panting hard, however, and was clutching to Riku's arm tightly. The crossbow fixed to her arm was still loaded with at least three more arrows. "You guys okay?"

Roxas and Naminé exchanged glances, and stared at the floor simultaneously.

_Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that I can see Kairi clinging to you like that, and I'm reminded that she's only gotten over Sora _that_ quickly because I'm not there to control her Antiform._

_Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that we have a furious fallen Keyblade Master who just set Heartless on us, and I'm reminded that he did so because I'm not there to control his Antiform._

"Yeah," they chorused together. "We're fine."

---------------------

_creeaak._

_"_Wielder," Xemnas spoke disgustedly, poking his head inside Sora's room. "Wiel_der_."

The brunette, who had been reading a book in bed, stared at him. Sky-blue eye and yellow Heartless eye pierced through him, and he flinched involuntarily. "Huh? Superior?"

Xemnas fought the urge to smile. Sora had taken to calling him 'the Superior', and, in his sane moments, seemed to think of him as a older-brother figure. Well, in his sane moments. He slapped himself mentally, that was not why he was here.

"Sora, you've left the kitchen sink bloody again."

He immediately sat up and got to his feet, and clasped his hands apologetically. "Oops. Sorry."

"Clean it up before dinner."

Sora bounced to his feet, grinning. "Yep. I'm going."

Xemnas raised an eyebrow, as he threw the door open to let Sora pass through. "You seem happy today."

"Heck yeah!"

Sora was only normally this happy after an attack on some poor unsuspecting Somebody--the Wielder didn't attack Nobodies and Heartless anymore; after all, they _were_ his peers. He cleared his throat. Sora had extra bounce in his step today. "Who did you attack this time?"

"Pssh," he waved a hand dismissively, strolling past Xemnas. "Attack is _such_ a harsh word. I only...uh..._took back_ something."

"Oh...okay. Clean the counters too, Sora."

"Glad to!" the Wielder laughed--no, _giggled_, twirling one of his Keychains in between his clawed fingers.

Xemnas stared absentmindedly after Sora. Sometimes, he had the most extreme of mood swings. He rivaled number Se--

_What the hell...?_

The Keychain caught the light, and he could clearly see the Kingdom Key's Disney emblem.

Colored gold.

As far as he knew, Sora's Kingdom Key had a silver emblem...and the Kingdom Key had disappeared ever since Sora had given up his heart. And the only other person who had a Kingdom Key--

"Wielder!" he called, shard of heart pounding nervously. He prayed fervently Sora didn't do what Xemnas thought he did.

"Yeppers, Superior?" he looked over his shoulder, sky-blue eye bright and curious.

"--h-have you paid a..._visit_ to King Mickey lately?"

Sora only laughed, and tossed the Keychain into the air. It transformed into the King's Reverse Keyblade...a bloodstained Reverse Keyblade.

"Y'know, royal blood tastes just the same as ordinary blood..."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wooh. This was a violent chappie, yeah it was.

About the last names...Larxene picked Kisaragi 'cause she's quite a fast one too, like Yuffie. Axel made up his own name--he's a lazy kid nn. And Zexion? 'cause him and Riku are alike, in more ways than one. _That_ I leave it up to you to figure out.

I'm not going on with the reply thing 'cause I might really get kicked out if I go on doing the story reply thing. If you want to ask questions, I'll answer them in the next chapter...as long as they won't spoil the plot.

Review, guys! Please? Flames are accepted.


	16. Remembrance

**A/N: **Uhm. RoxasxNaminé fluffiness. PURE FLUFF. You've been warned.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Kingdom Hearts, yeah, I don't. Don't own Wheel of Time either. Spoilers for Wheel of Time's..uhh, I think sixth book, Lord of Chaos. Or maybe seventh. Or maybe fifth.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**-----------------------**

**XVI: Re**mem**_brance_**

---------------------------

"Aww, Luxord!" Demyx whined, and he threw in a puppy-eyes look for good measure. "How come you _always_ get twenty?"

The platinum blonde (slicked down by massive amounts of hair wax--Demyx knew that for a fact...Organization XIII always had a thing for hair-stiffening cosmetics) number Nine shuffled the cards, and dealt it once again. "I _am_ the Gambler of Time, Demyx," he said bemusedly.

He pouted once again. Never mind if they had all grown immune to said pout. "Okay, fine. I was only letting you win 'cause you're sick..."

"Injured," Luxord pointed out, smoothing out the bedcovers.

"Whatever, you're still in the Infirmary either way." He stared at the cards that he had gotten. Uhh. Ace of spades. Six of hearts. He could risk it, yeah. "Hit me."

"Move a bit first, I can't see the screen."

Demyx sighed, and nudged himself a bit to the left, so that he himself could see the television. Cripes...why'd the Infirmary get to have a TV? Did you have to get injured or something just to be able to watch it? "Is this okay?"

Nodding, Luxord dealt him another card after glancing at the brightly lit screen (which was playing a rerun of that _Wheel of Time _soap opera--and had been playing that since the last five hours). Which, to his dismay, was the queen of diamonds.

"So, I take by the expression on your face that you've went over twenty-one," number Ten smirked.

"Obviously," he said, a little bit _too_ loudly. "So I owe you how much now?"

"Seven hundred fifty-two munny. And two bottles of red wine. Chardonnay, mind you."

"Argh...I hate you," Demyx sighed, wondering how he'd get his money back from the now very gleeful Luxord.

At least the gambler was sitting up and talking animatedly now. Yesterday he had all been but comatose--and two days before that, he was all but dead. Sora had been losing control a lot of times now, ever since Roxas had started to go to school. Although the Wielder had apologized profusely for attacking them, the victimized...people had been taking out their revenge during training. Lexaeus did not hold back, while Marluxia 'accidentally' sneaked a sunflower into Sora's room...like Roxas, Sora was allergic to the huge yellow flowers. Wooh. In retaliation, Marluxia found blood all over his room's carpeted floor.

Luxord? He'd probably challenge Sora to a game of poker--and win. Betting insane amounts of money--Sora _did_ have a Royal Treasury Account in his name, Antiform or not.

"Another game?"

Demyx threw a scorching glare at Luxord's grinning face. "What do you take me for, a--"

_"We interrupt this program for breaking news--"_

He heard the gambler curse under his breath--one of the characters, Moiraine, was about to kill Lanfear, the seriously beautiful villain (and so Demyx wondered why female villains was always so curvy and tall and layered with makeup). Poor, poor Luxord, missing his show.

_"Heartless have attacked the world of Destiny Islands today," _the ebony-haired reporter said (with a nametag of Ellone Leonhart pinned haphazardly on the lapel of her blazer) in an edgy voice.

"Huh? What? Heartless?" he asked aloud, and Luxord motioned for him to keep quiet.

_"...the disputed source of the Neoshadow attack had been identified as Destiny Academy. Casualties have not yet been verified, but at least twenty students have been taken. We have live feedback from the Academy--Raine, come in."_

The news programed shifted from studio to live, to a frightened reporter, clutching papers in her white-knuckled hand. _"I-I read you, Ellone. W-We're here live from the Academy--"_

Demyx couldn't help but gasp. Behind Raine, the school grounds looked like Saïx had taken out his anger on it..multiplied by ten. The school quadrangle was literally torn up, pieces of concrete lying forlornly among the rubble. Students were still sprawled on the ground, and older people --he assumed the professors--were sprinting around and administering Healing magic.

_"--the Heartless had just been annihilated by an unknown force thirty minutes ago. Miss..." _she motioned to one of the less-shaken looking students: a brunette with shoulder-length hair, bead earring, and mismatched sapphire and emerald eyes.

_"Yuna,"_ she said firmly, eyes darting around warily and hands white around a summoner's staff.

_"Can you describe what happened here?"_

_"Well, there was a commotion right before the Heartless appeared...Professor Fujiwara and Kairi were demonstrating something and--"_

"I can tell Superior's going to be pissed with Axel _so_ much."

"Keep quiet!"

"_All of a sudden all these Neoshadows burst up of the ground...we were fighting for a bit and we were almost losing and then,"_ Yuna had to stop and catch her breath ,"_all of a sudden this light streams out from the quad and all the Heartless simply vanished!"_

_"...this Kairi...Kairi Dalmasca-Leonhart?"_

_"Uhm, Kairi Dalmasca, yes."_

"...and so they go on about things nobody understands," Demyx sighed, lacing his fingers behind his head and yawning. "Pssh. Bet there'll be lots of Dusks now..." he peered once more at the brightly lit screen, and noticed a familiar blonde number Thirteen poking around the bushes behind the brunette girl, shortswords in hand. He stifled a chuckle, Roxas had been all too adamant to the idea of parting with his Keyblades, but it was either that or the wrath of Xemnas...no choice there.

Luxord tapped his chin with a card. "Hmm...but you do have to wonder _how_ the Heartless got in? I have heard that strong fighters make sure Heartless and Nobodies are barred entry from that school..."

"'cause they've got both a Wielder and a Princess, Luxy," he said, snatching the deck from number Ten's hands and shuffling them himself. Luxord took the deck back, frowning.

"But why only now?"

"Do I look like I can answer--"

_"BREAKING NEWS Good heavens, viewers," _a visibly shaken Ellone Leonhart stammered out, _"We have just confirmed that King Mickey Overseer of the Worlds has just been attacked viciously--His Majesty has already been placed under the care of Disney's Healers. We have no word if he is still alive--"_

Demyx blinked, and shook himself out of his frozen state of surprise. "Cripes, who'd attack the--"

_Sora._

"Meeting. _NOW!" _Superior's furious, apprehensive, and just plain _loud_ voice roared throughout the halls of the Castle That Never Was.

Luxord shrugged, and shuffled his cards once more. Apparently, Sora mauling the King was old news to him.

-----------------------

"...how much did you take?"

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows, and stared at the blonde girl peering at him curiously. "Five thousand munny."

Naminé sighed, heaving her suitcase up on her feet. "You'd let me borrow some, wouldn't you?"

The corners of his mouth twitched. Irritated, he took the leather suitcase from her hands and clutched it tightly on his own. Really. Why did girls always have to pack ten times heavier than boys?

"I can carry my suitcase on my--" she began, annoyed, but Roxas cut her off.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but it'll take you ten million years before you can lug it to the Gummi Ship," he drawled, walking slowly to Terminal III. Pouting, the blonde girl fell into step beside him, another handbag clinging to her curled fingers. Roxas resisted the urge to roll his eyes; _he_ had brought only a backpack. It _was_ only overnight! Besides, if they forgot anything, they could just as easily portal back to the Castle without anyone seeing. Pssh. Girls. "...what _did_ you pack, Nam? Rocks?"

"Shut it," she huffed, stomping her foot cutely. Yep. Sixteen years old, and still stomping her foot. Aww.

"Hikari, Dalmasca, hurry up!" Larxene said sharply once they were within earshot. The rest of the people going on the trip were already there, bored looks plastered on their faces. "Here's your seating arrangements, two to one seat--they're alphabetical, boys with girls...Aelfinn, Alexandria... Alcaia, Antonioa..."

Today was the scheduled Twilight Town trip--it had pushed through as planned, simply because the school had no other alternative date for the trip; Twilight was celebrating its festival today, and their sister school, Twilight Academy, was more then willing to accomodate them.

The number of those who were going had been halved, as expected. Hysterical parents were still calling up the school (or so the rumors went). The school had taken extra precautions; Paladins had actually been brought along, and all the students (which were composed of both Year II and Year III) were required to bring a weapon of choice, and to have a good supply of Ethers and Potions at hand. Of course, Zexion and Larxene had found a way to come along, still noticeably shaken by the events yesterday.

Axel had declined, seeing that the trip had Kairi in it. He said he was better off searching in the Library for a way to reverse the Knighting. However, the pyro had taken Roxas aside and made him promise that he'd keep an eye on Zexion and Larxene, just in case they did anything...well, Axel had left it at that.

Ew.

"Fialandi, Braska... Florence, Caraway..."

Roxas was still apprehensive about going, though--the meeting the Superior had called had seen to that. Sora needed his control more than ever; the brunette had brutally attacked King Mickey last night, and he only grinned toothily everytime they asked him whether he left the King alive or not. However, it was Sora himself who told Roxas to go and not worry about him, since he's satisfied his bloodlust enough for at least two days--which made him think about what Sora _had_ done to the King...the palace Healers had refused to comment on the King's condition.

On another note, Roxas had found Sora's journal, and was much too apprehensive to return it. Apparently, Sora had not realized he had lost it at all, in Destiny Academy. There it was, a small notebook. The temptation to read it was almost too great. It gave an insight to what was left of Sora.

Xemnas had assigned one Organization member to keep tags on Sora at all times whenever Roxas wasn't around.

His eyes fell on the blonde number Twelve, emerald eyes reading names boredly. Her waist-length hair (Larxene finally had the control to cut her hair back to its original length, and Zexion had silently watched--and he burst into laughter the next day when her hair just grew back immediately. It just didn't want to be cut, therefore. Axel had been in a particularly sour mood that day) was tied back in a loose ponytail, and it contrasted sharply with her ebony-black, long-sleeved turtleneck. Miraculously, Zexion wasn't by her side today--number Six was probably inside the Gummi Ship already, checking for its safety.

"...Grandia, Clydis... Haltamis, Daaxien...Hendo, Dalmasca..."

"Elazul?" Naminé said slowly, turning to him, cream white sundress fluttering slightly. "...I'll have to switch with Pearl, then. She's his girlfriend, after all. Or he switches with whoever sits with Pearl. Or..."

Roxas' eyebrows furrowed. "Naminé, you're the second Dalmasca in this class, 'cause K comes before N."

"Thank you, teacher Roxas," she said sarcastically. He swatted his free hand at her, and she dodged it, giggling.

_As long as I don't sit with her, we're safe. I won't fall in love with her more, and--_

"Hikari, Dalmasca... Ivalice, Ginfah..."

"...I just _had_ to think about it," he muttered darkly, stealing a glance at the flabbergasted girl next to him. Naminé was staring at Larxene (who Roxas swore he saw give them a small, knowing smile) with a mixture of surprise, anger, and amusement. Roxas knew she felt the same. Cripes, and it was a three-hour trip!

Well, he did have the same room as her in the Castle, but Naminé usually was out all the time. Roxas knew she was trying her best to avoid him, and he did the same. However, that didn't prevent him from occasionally sneaking a goodnight kiss or from placing her blankets over her or from whispering a fervent prayer for someone up high to protect her or from just wishing her a good night's sleep. And, Roxas realized, the girl had never failed to return the favor. He had always woken up smiling whenever he felt her lips brush his forehead the night before.

Naminé was nice to have as a roomate.

How he hated DiZ right now.

Something poked him in the ribs, and he recoiled. He looked up into the face of a disbelieving blonde Naminé.

He hesitated, tuning out number Twelve's voice as she rattled out arrangements. "Soo...d'you want me to trade seats with somebody else?" he asked.

She bit her lip, and stared at the ground, but answered in a firm voice all the same. "No."

Roxas jerked his head up. "Nam?"

"...I missed having you around," she said softly, shuffling her feet.

He blinked, blushing, as he stared at his fingerbands instead of her face. "That's nice to know."

"Dude! Roxas, Naminé!" Tidus yelled. "Hurry up!"

They were the only ones left standing in front of the Terminal. Yelling, they sprinted to the Gummi Ship and boarded it, sparing a passing glance at the departure screen.

_"Commercial Gummi Ship no. 374 special flight to Twilight Town, now boarding."_

---------------------

"Naminé, argh, what _did_ you pack in this thing?" Roxas asked frustratedly as they threaded their way through the throng of people crowding the middle aisle of their Gummi Ship.

She shrugged, finally spotting her assigned seat. "More things," she said simply, gesturing to the seat.

"Girls," he pouted cutely, proceeding to try and place her suitcase properly at the foot of the seats. Naminé watched him struggle for a minute or so, before trying to get her suitcase and place it herself. She ended up almost banging it open, and Roxas sighed in irritation.

"...hey guys."

She looked up, and found her Other staring at them bemusedly from behind the seats in front of theirs, probably kneeling on the chairs.

Roxas nodded. "Hey Kairi."

"Hi, Other," she bit her lip, as she met the Princess' gaze. All she could remember whenever she saw Kairi was her duty to control her Antiform--and that was a memory she didn't really want to remember. She knew sooner or later she would have to snap Kairi out of whatever had forced her to let Riku become her Knight or something--Naminé still felt attracted to Roxas, so that must mean that Kairi's heart still had very deep ties to Sora's.

Kairi broke eye contact, and rounded on the bedheaded blonde instead, who was kneeling, still trying to shove her suitcase under the seats. "Nice seating, huh, Roxas?"

She felt her eyes narrow, as she stared at the top of Roxas' head, who answered, "...yep. Just don't go all PDA on us."

"It's not PDA!" the redhead protested vehemently. "And no, Riku's not my seatmate."

Naminé sighed in relief when he straightened up, meaning he had succeeded in cowering the suitcase into submission. She brushed past him and sat down on the seat nearest the window. Naminé liked windows a lot.

"He's not?" he asked, running a hand through his hair. "Didn't you swap or something?"

She shook her head. "We're going to spend the day together, in any case. And absence makes the heart grow fonder, anyway."

Naminé couldn't help but stare increduously at her Other, and she exchanged a disbelieving look with an equally flabbergasted Roxas. If absence made the heart grow fonder, then that meant she missed Sora very much, because Sora had been out of commission for almost a year now.

"...what about you two? Am I supposed to expect PDA from you two?" Her voice broke then out of their reveries--Roxas actually choked on his own spit.

She pursed her lips, ignoring Roxas spluttering. "Shut it, Kai," she said evenly, folding her hands on her lap.

"Touchy, touchy. Proves that you're guilty," Kairi teased in a very annoying sing-song voice. She cringed.

"Am not."

"...you are," the redhead countered in an infuriating knowing voice.

Naminé felt her cheeks heat up, and she was suddenly very aware of Roxas staring at her bemusedly. Oh, how she'd like to pummel him until he begged for mercy...gritting her teeth, she forced herself to stare out of the window. "Am _not_."

"Yes, you are."

"Hey, sit properly."

Kairi twisted around in her seat. "You don't tell me what I do, Sir Riku."

Thankfully, she didn't see Naminé's lips twist in disgust, as she watched Riku smirk behind her Other.

It was just wrong.

It was supposed to be Kairi and _Sora_...and it wasn't Kairi and Sora, because Naminé was not there to supress the hatred in Kairi's supposed-to-be pure heart. Oh, she hoped they found a way to restore control--she did not want to be the cause of Sora going berserk again.

Even as half-Heartless, and whether the brunette Wielder would admit it or not, he was still very touchy when it came to the subject of the seventh Princess of Heart. Either he'd attack the person who dared to ask, or he'd clam up and refuse to speak for the rest of the day.

...thus returning to the fact that she **_had_** to remerge.

She hated existing.

"...and I thought I could get away from you," Kairi was saying, giggling as Riku placed his arm possessively around her shoulders. Naminé shut her eyes discreetly, opening them only when she was facing the window, staring at the takeoff strip of the Destiny Islands Gummi Ship Terminal. She felt like throwing up, and it wasn't because of motion sickness.

The platinum-haired Wielder kissed her on the cheek, pulling her closer. "Now you know you can't."

"Ah," Roxas said sarcastically, mock-covering his eyes. "It buurrrns!"

"Eh?" Riku smiled broadly. "You want to be left alone with Naminé, Rox? Did I read the sarcasm right?"

Naminé didn't know whether to smile, blush, or mess up Riku's memories so bad he'd never know what hit him.

The blonde boy behind her spluttered vehemently. "I never said--"

_"This is Professor Larxene, people. Sit down and put on your seatbelts, please, until the Gummi Ship takes off. Secure all weapons and items properly. Trading seats may be done once more when we are in flight. People who have motion sickness--say something before you hurl. The trip is going to last approximately two hours and fifty-two minutes. Be safe, and let's take off."_

Riku smirked once more, helping the redhead back down onto her seat, and disappearing from view.

Naminé started to reach under for her suitcase, but Roxas grabbed her wrist as the Ship started to taxi down the runway.

"Put on your seatbelt!" he hissed, collapsing into the chair beside her. "Do you want to get thrown back?"

Blushing, she quickly wrenched her hand free of Roxas' grip, and snapped her silver seatbelt buckle shut. She heard Roxas do the same, and the little metallic _snaps_ of people doing the same thing filled the cabin.

_"This is Captain Barrett, and I shall be yer pilot for this trip. Buckle up, kiddies."_

The Ship lurched backward, and she felt herself sink into the seat's back as the force pressed her back. They suddenly tilted upward, and Naminé felt something she had not felt for a long time.

Fear--_this_ is why she preferred portalling; Portalling was faster, not to mention safer. For her, anyway.

She involuntarily clutched the nearest thing she could, squeezing it for comfort as the Gummi Ship took off, blue sky and sea disappearing into orange mist into finally black space. They deftly maneuvered between the various Heartless Ship debris--which Sora himself had cleared long ago. Heart pounding, her jaw dropped in awe when she saw Destiny Islands from afar--a ball of land and sparkling sea among the stars.

"...ehm, Nam, I think my hand's losing blood."

Naminé blinked, and her eyes traveled to where her fingers were curled around. Unsurprisingly, they were around Roxas' hand. She immediately released his fingers, and he massaged them ruefully.

"For a girl, you sure are strong," he said, wincing as he wiggled his fingers.

"...I whupped your butt in training yesterday, remember?" she muttered, picking up her handbag and placing it securely on the armrest between her and Roxas.

"'cause I let you win...and..." his eyebrows furrowed at the sudden intrusion of the white handbag. "What are you doing?"

She rummaged around the bag, and took out a book. "Making sure you don't get any ideas."

"Don't worry," he said confidently, "I won't."

"...suuure you won't," Naminé said mockingly, not even bothering to look at Roxas. She'd probably blush scarlet if she looked at him, anyway.

Shrugging, the blonde number Thirteen undid his seatbelt, jumped over the seat closest to the aisle, and started talking away with Tidus, who was on the other side of the walkway. She placed her handbag in the middle seat, half-hoping Roxas would come back and sit next to her again; she really _had_ missed having him around.

This was going to be a long three hours.

------------------------

Roxas yawned.

He had been talking for at least thirty minutes now, and it was pretty hard when the guy you're talking to was too distracted with having his crush sitting next to him. "Dude, you exchanged seats for her," he chided Tidus. "It wouldn't harm you if you two just talked."

"...I can't," he said helplessly, yawning widely himself. Roxas peered over him; sure enough, Yuna had already fallen asleep, hands folded perfectly over her half-skirted lap, bead earring heaving up and down slightly with every breath she took. In fact, the once-lively conversations were now hushed and carried on in half-sleepy tones.

It was something about the atmosphere of the Gummi Ship; it seemed to induce everyone to fall asleep. The seats were cozy, the cabin was airconditioned, heck, you could even ask for a pillow if you wanted to. The fact that they had to leave at five in the morning didn't help. It was impossible _not_ to fall asleep.

Roxas snickered. "Shove her a bit so that she leans on you," he instructed, much to Tidus' mortification. Ignoring the blitzball player's objections, he continued ,"She looks pretty uncomfortable just sitting there. Don't worry, I guarantee you Yuna will be grateful for letting her use you as a pillow."

"But!"

"Do it," he said firmly, cutting Tidus off.

"Fine," he whispered sleepily, nudging Yuna. The girl then shifted positions, reaching over her armrest and curling her arm around Tidus', falling asleep once more. A few minutes later, Tidus fell asleep too.

Sighing, Roxas relaxed his neck and sank into his own seat. _Why_ did it have to be so comfortable? He stole a glance at the blonde girl beside him; Naminé's eyes were already heavy-lidded with sleep. The book she had been reading had slipped on the floor at her feet. Roxas, being the gentleman he was, scooted over and picked it up, and slid it inside her bag.

Was it just him, or was Naminé shivering?

...yep. He _had_ told Naminé to wear something thick, 'cause he knew for a fact Gummi Ships were notorious for their temperature--it may be scorching hot outside, but it was deathly cold inside.

_Oh, I hope she forgives me._

He shrugged off his cream-colored polo and wrapped it around her shoulders, feeling her skin almost frozen underneath the woolen fabric. She was going to end up with a very nasty cold, that was a very probable possibility. Roxas picked up her white bag and placed it on the seat nearest the aisle, and he sat down in the seat next to hers, adjusting the polo gently. His own zipped black undershirt was warm enough--as a Nobody, he could stand much more extreme temperatures than this.

Roxas yawned again, and he contented himself by watching Naminé's head loll around lazily.

He smiled. Asleep, she looked positively angelic. Borrowed feelings or not, he sure was lucky Naminé had not decided to swap places with anyone else.

His eyes closed of their own accord, and he nodded off, sleepiness taking over him. Why not? He did have two more hours to kill, anyway.

---------------------

"You know, I can take care of myself," he said nonchalantly, lacing his fingers behind his head.

Axel snorted. "Sorry to be blunt, but I'm not babysitting you--I'm making sure you don't go berserk on us."

Sora sighed as he continued walking down the white marble corridor, his footsteps light. "...I didn't mean to, really."

"You're only saying that because Roxas has just gone. Pretty soon you'll go all violent."

The brunette Wielder stopped walking, and looked over his right shoulder. Axel could see hurt reflected in his sky-blue eye, and he swallowed painfully. "...I guess everyone thinks that of me, now."

"You _did_ attack the King," the pyro pointed out.

"You don't understand how I feel, Axel," he countered, turning around fully now, leaving ribbons of darkness trailing from his arm and hand. "If you were in my place, you'd do the same."

Axel hesitated; Sora was right--he had no idea what the Wielder was going through. There was one thing he was sure of, though. It hurt when the girl you cared for was happy with someone else. Well, it _was_ Arlene who was inlove with Ienzo, but he could see day by day that Larxene was slowly losing her hold over her Other. When that day came when Larxene was completely--ugh, he didn't want to think about that.

"Sora, you left King Mickey alive, right?"

He nodded, and looked away. "I had to. I couldn't get his Keyblade if he died."

"So you're really set on having his Keyblade, eh?"

"Yep. Never got the feel of the Dark Keyblade, anyway."

Keyblade Masters were something Axel had never bothered to understand, since there _were_ only four of them in existence right now. All he knew was that being one required a massively strong will, but not necessarily a heart--Sora was proof of that.

He also knew that _this_ particular Keyblade Master needed a pure heart right now, to counter Roxas' loss of...

_Hey!_

Axel forced down a gasp, and Sora stared at him quizzically. If he and Kairi got together once more, maybe the light of the seventh (and reputedly the most powerful) Princess of Light would balance out the darkness in Sora.

Yeah. And it would do the same for Kairi--but the girl had her own Antiform to speak of. That was a problem. But it was worth a try, right?

"I've never seen you space out like that," Sora commented.

"I was just thinking." He grinned, and walked up to the brunette Heartless/Nobody.

_Now, how to get rid of Riku..._

_---------------------_

_Flash_.

Naminé opened a sapphire-blue eye halfway, vision still hazy with sleep. She could make out the a black-clad figure gliding past her, blonde hair fluttering behind. She moaned slightly, yawning, before burying herself back into the deliciousness of sleep, and the softness of her seat.

_Uh?_

She blinked sleepily, finding that she was actually nestling herself in the crook of Roxas' neck, and that the boy had fallen asleep, leaning on her head slightly. An arm was wrapped around her waist tightly, while the other hand was settled lightly over her own hand, his banded fingers filling in the space between her own. She found her own two arms wrapped tightly around Roxas' torso, and for some reason, her ribs hurt.

Grunting, she raised the armrest backwards--it was digging into both their sides.

There. She wrapped her arms around the boy once again, even tighter this time. Their knees were touching, and her foot was crossed over his. Naminé then felt an unusual warmth around her shoulders...strange, she didn't fall asleep wearing an overshirt--

Oh. It was Roxas' cream shortsleeved jacket. The boy had wrapped it around her.

Right now, she felt she should be flaming mad; Roxas taking advantage of her like that. But she was just too damn sleepy to be mad, or to even care.

Number Thirteen tightened the grip around her waist, and on her hand, holding her closer, the armrest out of the way now. Closing her eyes, Naminé nuzzled her forehead against his neck, taking in his cologne, and lost herself to the darkness of sleep once more.

----------------------

It tickled.

"Uhhh," Roxas murmured, still in a state of half-sleep.

The cabin was completely quiet--people had either fallen asleep, or was about to fall asleep. He could spot Larxene and making her fifteen-minute routine walk down the cabin, checking up on everyone. Number Twelve had something in her hands--it looked suspiciously like a camera to him. What the heck for...?

Naminé grunted slightly, and snuggled closer, her breath hot against his neck.

_What the heck!_

He blinked; he had fallen asleep with no bodily contact with the pale blonde girl whatsoever. Now they were more tangled than Roxas had ever dreamed of doing. Cripes, Naminé is going to be _so_ mad...

"Nam," he said gently, nudging the girl awake, wondering how he'd get out his arm from around her waist. "Wake up."

"Nam."

"_Naminé_."

"Hn?" she asked sleepily, raising her head from his shoulder and staring at him with unfocused sapphire blue eyes.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "You fell asleep, and..."

"Shut up, Roxas, I know," she slurred out, nuzzling his neck once more, making shivers race down his spine. "...right now, I'm too sleepy to care. So whether you like it or not, I'm using you as a pillow."

"But--"

"Told you," she breathed, her eyelashes tickling the skin on his neck slightly, "Shut up."

Her breathing then slowed down once more into the even breathing of deep sleep.

Girls were something Roxas had never really understood. He pondered that thought as he kissed Naminé's forehead, and fell asleep anew.

---------------------

_"People, this is Prof Larxene again--we'll be landing in Twilight Terminal in ten minutes. Wake up, and make sure you leave nothing that you're not supposed to."_

Naminé blinked sleepily, yawning as she did. Mmhm. She was pretty well-rested, in fact, she was positive she had had more than enough sleep--she'd probably _not_ fall asleep later night. "Roxas, wake up, you lazy bum."

_!  
_

She quickly clamped her mouth shut--she sounded like Kairi too much for comfort. The blonde boy stirred, and looked around blearily, withdrawing his hand from her waist. She reluctantly let her hands drop from around Roxas. Blushing, she leant on the window railing instead, staring at the massive orange world of Twilight Town below them. The Clocktower was perfectly visible from here.

"...get enough sleep?" a voice snickered from the aisle, and Naminé looked over her shoulder. Larxene was smiling knowingly at the two of them--it was getting annoying.

Roxas blushed deeply. "Well, I did."

She settled for nodding mutely, fearing that if she opened her mouth to speak, she'd blurt out that she wished it lasted longer--that was the last thing she wanted to do.

"cause you two looked pretty cozy," Zexion drawled. Naminé raised an eyebrow; how did number Six manage to get here so fast...?

"What do you mean, cozy?" she demanded, tearing her gaze from the window.

Larxene procured a white square of glossy paper.

"You did _not_ do that," Naminé said unbelievingly, eyes following the picture. She could make out her and Roxas' figures as they were asleep.

The blonde laughed, emerald eyes sparkling with amusement. "What's wrong with it, Naminé?"

She bit her lip. "Nothing, but..."

Roxas stared at her blankly, cerulean blue eyes curious.

"...it was fine, really, but he's--"

_"Prof Kisaragi and Alcaia, we land in five minutes. Please proceed to the Ship bridge now. Barret out."_

Larxene tossed her the photograph, snickering. Zexion linked hands with her, and they proceeded to the bridge. People had already buckled their seatbelts, and nipping the picture's corner in her mouth, she buckled her own with a little _snap_. Roxas whipped the photo from her lips and stared at it, blanching.

"Wow. It looks, uhm, uh, more intimate," she stammered, leaning closer to see the photograph. Number Twelve had taken a picture of them asleep, when Naminé had her arms tightly around Roxas' waist, and the boy had done the same.

"Intimate?" Roxas said unbelievingly, eyelid twitching. "For crying out loud, Naminé, it looks like we're together or something! It's even more than what Kairi and Riku would pull off!"

"What won't we pull off?" Kairi asked curiously, head peering up over her seat.

Naminé shook her head vehemently. "Nothing, nothing."

"Huh?"

"_Kairi, sit down."_

"Okay, okay already."

"...but on the bright side, that was the best two hours of sleep I've ever gotten," Roxas said cheerfully, tucking the photograph into his backpack.

She suppressed a smile, and turned back to the window, observing Twilight Town as it came closer. Orange-hued clouds shrouded the World, and she could almost hear the Clocktower bell ring. She wondered how Roxas would take it, being back in his _supposed_ hometown.

Her Plan would soon be set into action.

------------------------

"Wow. Roxas. You look...toned," Tidus complimented, staring at him up and down. Roxas subconsciously rubbed his hands up and down his arms.

"Dude, you want to ask me out?"

The blonde blitzer scrunched up his face. "Sorry, man, I'm straight."

They burst into laughter together.

They had already landed down on Twilight Town, and here they were, on the way to the Terminal. He had realized that this was the first time he had taken off his overshirt, thus being the first time anyone other than Naminé seeing him sleeveless. It revealed his arms, which, he should say so himself, had been shaped by grueling months of Keyblade training.

Uhm. That made for a lot of fangirls, who were now following him stealthily in a manner comparable to rabid dogs.

Tidus was carrying Yuna's small overnight duffel bag, and Roxas stole a glance at it enviously. Ugh. Why did Naminé have to pack so many things? Don't get him wrong; he's not carrying her bag because she's his girlfriend or something--all the boys were _supposed _to carry their seatmates' bags; that's why they were seated that way.

Speaking of Naminé...where was she...?

"Go through gate five, people," Larxene called through the crowd, not a piece of luggage in sight. It was so unfair; the two had probably agreed that they'd portal back for their things.

Pouting (not even realizing that he _was_ pouting), Roxas lugged Naminé's suitcase through gate five, and was immediately smothered by a camera flash. He blinked hazily, staggering back. Ow, that hurt his eyes pretty bad. "Did you really have to do that in my face?" he asked irritatedly.

Pence stared back at him, camera in slightly pudgy hand. "Sorry."

"Agh, it's okay," he waved a hand dismissively, blinking the spots out of his eyes. "s long as I'm not blind."

Pence continued to stare at him. Uhm. Roxas had remembered Pence staring like that, but _that_ particular stare was reserved for some camera the photographer revered, and had proclaimed he'd buy someday.

"...stop staring," he squirmed uncomfortably, luggage heavy in his hand. "Whoever you are..." he added in what he hoped was a convincing voice.

At that moment, Naminé had appeared out of the crowd, her pale visage standing out against the warm sunset colors of Twilight Town. To his horror, the blonde Nobody was beaming and leading an equally happy Olette to where he was. It hurt enough to _be_ in this town, knowing that his circle of friends would never remember him, but did she really need to rub it in?

"Roxas," Naminé greeted happily, his shirt still draped around her shoulders.

Scratching his head and trying his best to look new to this town, he held out a hand to Olette. "...I think I've met you before. Olette, right?"

Jade green eyes narrowed in bewilderment, and the brunette took his hand, shaking it slowly. "Yes...and you're?"

"Roxas!"

Even more bewildered, Roxas looked around a still-beaming Naminé's shoulders. Hayner was running up to them, and skidded to a stop beside Olette. Pence had moved close to Hayner, and Naminé scooted over next to him, that infuriating smile of hers still pasted to her face.

He never had much of acting skills. Gritting his teeth, he prepared to lie his way out. "Hey. Yep, that's me, Roxas, " he paused, hoping he was convincing. "Who're you?"

Sienna eyes narrowed. "..."

_Smack!_

Roxas reeled backward, clutching a hand to his jaw. He felt Naminé support him, her hands pushing upright at the small of his back. Argh. Simulated or not, Hayner could sure pack an uppercut. "What the _hell_ was that for?" he asked angrily--people were starting to gawk at them.

Olette and Pence were trying to restrain a heaving Hayner, visibly straining from the effort.

"You are the biggest idiot I have ever met," he spat, hands clenched into iron fists. Roxas wondered how Hayner would look like sporting a bloody nose--he decided it would look spectacularly painful.

"Say _what?_" Roxas yelled, dropping Naminé's suitcase on the floor and pulling out his shortswords from his backpack.

The brunette girl shook her head frantically. "Roxas! No!"

"Can somebody tell me what is going ON!" he roared, dodging Hayner's fist--his two friends' restraining hold on him had finally failed. Roxas twirled a shortsword, and prepared to hit Hayner in the forehead squarely with the hilt.

"I'll tell you what's going on," Hayner breathed angrily, straightening up. "How dare you pretend like you don't know your best friends. How dare you act like you've never stepped foot here in Twilight before. How dare you just freakin' _disappear_ for only God knows how long, Roxas! How could you leave us hanging in the air like this!"

Roxas blinked, and stared, stunned. He was unable to think of anything to say, except,"You remember...?"

"Like _hell_ we do!" Hayner said angrily, seeming to calm down. "When did we ever forget, anyway?"

He felt warm fingers pry both shortswords from his hands, and place them securely back in his bag.

"Naminé..."

The blonde girl continued to fuss with his bag, refusing to meet his gaze. However, one could not miss the small smile that graced her lips as she did.

"Roxas," Pence said loudly,"Where have you been?"

"I...I..." he stammered, at a loss for words. Naminé smiled even more. "I...I'm sorry, uhm, I had to move to Destiny Islands. Sorry for not telling you," he scratched his head.

"_You. Had. To. Move._" Hayner muttered disbelievingly, hands balling into fists once more. "_That. Is. Not. A. Valid--_" he stopped as Olette whispered something in his ear, pointing at the blonde girl who had just finished tinkering with his backpack, and had picked up her suitcase herself. "Ohhh..." he trailed off, face smoothing into a smirk.

"Naminé, I told you, you can't lug that bag around," he said firmly, shard of heart still pounding. The girl refused to look at him as he took her luggage gently.

"...it was for a _girl_..." Hayner said loudly.

Roxas' face burned, and Pence took a picture of it. Naminé giggled. Gah. He turned to her, and placed both hands on her shoulders. She resolutely looked at the cobbled ground. "Naminé..."

"Happy birthday, Roxas," she said quietly, shuffling her feet.

"I don't have a birthday."

She licked her lips, and pursed them. "Yes, you do. Today is exactly two years since you unmerged with Sora."

"How'd you know?"

She blushed furiously--even her ears were slowly going red. "I keep track of time, Roxas. It _is_ my birthdate too, you know."

"So...?"

"It took me almost a year, but I finally managed to unchain their memories of you," she explained quickly, still, annoyingly, looking down at her sandalled feet. "It's the least I can do."

"You could've told me first," he said ruefully, rubbing his sore jaw.

"...sorry, but I wanted it to be a sur--"

He cut her off, pulling her into a fierce hug as he fervently murmured 'thank you' over and over again, tears threatening to spill. Oh, they finally remembered him, they finally did. Naminé sighed against his chest, and he felt warm liquid seep through his shirt--she was crying.

"Roxas, I don't want you to be sad, ever again," she sobbed softly, voice muffle in his clothes.

Olette squealed happily, and Pence, once more, took a picture. That was probably the one picture he'd _have_ to have.

"I _knew_ it!" Hayner threw his hands up in dismay. "It _was_ a girl! I can't believe you exchanged us, for a _girl_!"

"Shut up, Hayner!" Olette said dreamily. "Oh, one would do anything for love..."

Roxas gently eased his grip, and Naminé pulled back of her own accord, scarlet painting her cheeks. Agh. And he _wasn't_ supposed to fall in love with this girl. She finally looked up, and sapphire-blue eyes sparkled at him. "I--"

"Hikari, Dalmasca, there you are," Zexion's voice suddenly spoke up, seemingly appearing from nowhere. And knowing number Six, he probably _had_ appeared from nowhere.

"Yeah, professor Zexion," he said, still a bit overwhelmed from what Naminé had done. So _that_ was why she was rarely in their room late at night--she stayed up in the Old Mansion, rechaining Olette, Pence, and Hayner's memories. She did it all for _him_.

"The general assembly's at ten," Zexion said boredly, looking down at the Twilight Town students, and at the circle of yellow pinned on Olette's shirt, proclaiming her as a 'Student Guide'. "I do believe you know how to get there, Miss--"

"Olette," the brunette bowed her head quickly. "Olette Winhill."

"Well, Winhill," he nodded. "Make sure these two get to your Academy."

With that, he spun on his heels, and walked away in the general direction of Terminal Five.

"Before that, " Hayner grinned, tapping his foot. "Let's meet your girlfriend, Rox."

Roxas spluttered, almost dropping the suitcase on his feet. "S-she's not--"

"I'm Naminé Dalmasca. Pleased to meet you."

He could hear Hayner smirk.

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'cause I want to write fluff. So sue me.

sad to say, but the ending's on the horizon, kiddies.

It shall be quick, and painless, ne...?

...review please? I'll reply to you.

The purple button needs some love...


	17. Revert

**A/N: **...sorry peoples for the wait. Semestral break is approaching, and of course, this translates to tons of schoolwork. Don't worry, though, I'm ending this thing probably before the end of October. On with the fic.

Fluff. Useless fluff. Don't worry--it'll all be over soon.

Warning though. A suggestive scene somewhere in there. Flame me if you want to.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Kingdom Hearts, I'd be making KH3 right now.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------

**XVII: Re_v_**e**_r_**t

**---------------------**

Dizziness was something Roxas never really relished feeling.

Which explained why he was feeling particularly frustrated right now. His head spun impossibly, and he weakly rummaged through his bag for his bottle of water. He sniffed, ignoring Riku and Tidus bickering with each other good-naturedly.

He might've caught a cold from the Gummi Ship airconditioning, because he gave his fairly thick overjacket to Naminé.

Not that he's blaming her.

No.

Anyway...

After the reunion and a promise of ice cream later, Roxas and Naminé had gone straightaway to the dormitories, not needing a guide. He had already memorized the dorms, anyway--he _had_ memories of the dorm, supposedly, created by Naminé. After dropping off the flaxen-haired girl at her room down the hallway, he shuffled into his own assigned room, only to be greeted by a hyper Tidus and a sleeping Wakka. Pssh. Good thing Riku had just arrived (escorted by a smug Hayner) in their room--it gave Tidus a diversion to work off his energy, which was deadly in large amounts.

He supposed Zexion had arranged for him and Riku to automatically share a room--it was easier to keep an eye on them.

He sneezed forlornly, finally finding the bottle of water and taking a long draught from it.

Instead of a field trip, it seemed they had gone on a training program; Sora attacking King Mickey had seen to that. Twilight Town's usually laid-back citizens (from what Roxas could remember, anyway) were now pale-faced and nervous. The Destiny Islands and Disney attacks had seen to that. The festival had been cancelled on accounts of security issues...which left them with generally nothing to do--except to spar with the Twilight Academy students and exchange battle tips.

Argh...he was in no shape to battle now. He had no idea he could be undermined by such a simple thing as a _cold_.

If Nobodies decided to attack, well, he could just order them away, whoever summoned them. As a Nobody who wielded light, Roxas held sway over Sora.

Heartless was a completely different issue. Well, a few Slayers would take care of that, but it was too risky; if the people here found out the Slayers were acting weird and following his command...they'd probably kill him on sight.

And on top of that, he had a cold.

A _cold_.

"...argh," he sniffed, drawing out his shortswords and their gilded scabbards from his bag and tossing them to the floor--they were in the way of unpacking.

Tidus' voice pierced the hazy fog of his thoughts. "What...?"

"Nothing," Roxas replied, mouth feeling as though it had been stuffed with cotton. He struggled to stifle his sneeze but he failed miserably. Ugh.

_I give up_, he thought, tossing his bag at the foot of his bed and dragged himself to the mattress. Kicking off his shoes, he climbed underneath the sunset-colored bedspread, shimmying up to the middle and burying his face in the pillow. He failed miserably in muffling his sneeze.

Roxas hated getting sick. That was a known fact. He _hated_ getting sick, because it meant people would worry about him. Which was something Roxas hated even more. That was one trait he shared with Sora--both absolutely detested having other people worrying about them. That was the reason why Sora hated King Mickey.

He knew that a simple Curaga would cure him instantly, but right now, he didn't have the disposition to do so. Arrgh.

"Dude," Tidus' voice said loudly. Roxas stared into the darkness of his pillowcase. "Looks like you're down with the chills or something."

"No, I'm fine," he said hoarsely.

Cripes, he could almost hear Riku smirk. Roxas felt something hard bounce off the general region of his chest, and his Nobody hearing picked up the sound of liquid sloshing. It was, in all likeliness, a Hi-Potion.

"Drink up, it'll help," the smooth voice of the platinum-haired Wielder told him. He groaned and pawed for the vial blindy, setting it down at the side of his bed.

"I'm fine, Riku. I just need some rest, that's all," he said stubbornly, although his mind was telling him otherwise.

"Don't be stupid. Drink the Potion and get to sleep."

"No..." Roxas sighed, really meaning the opposite, 'cause a nap seemed really nice right now. Heck, he felt like he needed to sleep the entire day away. That's what colds did to him. He reached an arm over his bed and rummaged in his bag, feeling for a particular black looseleaf notebook.

Sora's journal was something Roxas didn't want ending up in wrong hands. That's why he brought the notebook with him, and that's why he's tucking it under his pillow right now. Just in case Tidus decided to conduct a random bag inspection.

His shard of heart skipped a beat when he heard Riku's voice. "Aww," he teased, "Roxas? You keep a diary?"

It struck him as painfully true. In a sense, Sora _was_ him, and technically, it was true. Why did Riku have to rub it in?

...like Riku knew what he was doing, anyway. Roxas was getting tired of hiding Sora's, erh, condition--it was taking a toll on him to lie almost everyday to everyone who wasn't a Nobody.

"Probably filled with doodles of Naminé's name," Tidus chuckled, and Roxas was very grateful the pillow was there to cover his blushing face.

"Shut up, you two," he growled. "It's my Physics notebook--maybe if I sleep on it, the notes'll pass into my brain..."

How he wished it was true.

He drifted off to the merciful darkness of sleep.

--------------------

"Axel."

"A_xel_."

"Dammit, wake _up_!"

He shifted, moaned, groaned, and buried his way deeper into his white pillow, fervently wishing that whoever it was would just go away and leave him alone. He had had a massive hangover from the celebrations earlier--both the four seasons and the blood punch had been spiked with copious amounts of Luxord's whiskey. If he got his hands on the inebriated Dancers who did that...

"Axel."

The sound of summoning and wielding a large, sharp weapon. God forbid it was Saïx and his claymore who was waking him up. The very thought made him whip the pillow off his face in fright.

"Go away, Marluxia," he groaned, taking one look at the brunet standing beside his bed and stuffing the pillow over his face once more.

"Honestly, it's only ten in the morning! Don't you think it's a bit early to get drunk?" number Eleven demanded, japping the blunt end of his scythe into Axel's side mercilessly.

"What the hell d'you want?" he slurred, spots still dancing before his eyes in the cool light of Kingdom Hearts filtering through his window. All he wanted was to sleep this stupid hangover away. Who knew only three hours of drinking could lead to this?

"Get up, idiot, _Curaga_," Axel heard Marluxia cast irritably. His hangover evaporated almost instantly; he supposed it was because he had very high tolerance for alcohol. Unfortunately, he had seemed to test the limits of tolerance earlier. The punch seemed to be three-quarters whiskey--

He sat up, and groggily rubbed his eyes, swinging his still-booted feet over the edge of the bed. The brunet tapped a foot impatiently, watching him. Annoyed, Axel set the hem of his coat on fire, enjoying the sight of Marluxia frantically trying to put the fire out with his pillow.

Some Graceful Assassin he is.

"I take it that you're awake," he panted, shooting him a glare. Axel smirked.

"Obviously."

"So. I found a solution."

He blinked, staring at Marluxia's positively blinding smile. What happened to him? "What solution?"

"To our little Other problem."

Axel unconsciously straightened up at the sound of 'Other' and 'problem' in the same sentence. Larxene and Zexion would always reside in the 'Urgent Problems' part of his mind. He cocked his head thoughtfully, and raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"We get rid of Arlene and Ienzo."

"Well, that's enlightening," he said sarcastically.

Marluxia tapped his scythe on the marble floor threateningly, and Axel wisely shut his mouth.

"All we have to do is to get Roxas to stab them both with his Dark Keyblade. That'll release the shards of heart to Roxas, since he's the nearest person and also the nearest to the original owner of the heart. Then Larxene and Zexion'll revert back. Easy. We just have to do it before they both completely revert--"

"Are you insane?" Axel asked in disbelief. "First of all, Roxas will absolutely refuse to summon the Keyblade that turned Sora into a Nobody. And how can you be sure they won't die if you stab them with a Keyblade?" He was practically yelling now; Marluxia and his harebrained schemes! "Have you even _seen_ the Dark Keyblade? It's three feet of pure darkness! _Are you in--"_

"I want Larxene back," the brunet's shoulders slumped, scythe fading and him collapsing on Axel's bed, sitting next to him.

Axel stared. Once Marluxia hated him, but now the brunet was actually sitting next to him and talking to him civilly. He couldn't help but feel a sense of triumph as he tried to comfort his 'rival'."Listen, Marluxia, I know we all want her back--_ow!_"

Number Eleven had smacked him sharply at the base of the neck, sending ribbons of pain shooting down his chest. His steely blue eyes sparked with anger now, sienna eyebrows contorted in a scowl. "How can you sound like you don't really care? How can you sound that it's just like any other problem, Axel? I can't believe you!"

"It's not--"

"Well, what you're telling me now says otherwise! Larxene's been like the sister I never had; the only person I ever trusted! And don't lie to me, I know you love her, and I know for a fact that you'd do everything to stop her from going!"

Marluxia breathed heavily, the white bedspread curled up tightly in his gloved fist.

_I know you love her._

"B-but, Marluxia," Axel stammered, head swimming, "I thought you l-liked her too?"

"You are such an idiot," the brunet answered with an inflection of amusement. "I do like her, but not that way. The only reason I joined in your fight with Zexion was because I didn't want Larxene to revert."

"I...I don't know. It seems so wrong. The Dark Keyblade is forbidden magic."

"We don't have a choice, Axel," he said firmly. "We have to do this soon, or it may be too late." Marluxia stood up, and walked to the door calmly, with no sign of his outburst from earlier.

Yep. All he needed was the overprotective brother. Pssh.

It was a risky proposition. If it was successful, well, Arlene and Ienzo would be gone once more, and they would probably live happily ever after, sans heart and real emotions. If not, well, both Six and Twelve would be dead, or worse, turned into Heartless. If he did nothing, both of them would revert completely.

It pained him to think of getting rid of the shards of heart, after all, it _was_ what Larxene wanted, wasn't it? To have a heart and really feel? He wasn't in the blonde's footsteps to judge what was right and what was wrong; maybe Larxene really was happy that way. Why would he sacrifice her happiness for his own?

On the other hand, if he did nothing, Larxene would be gone forever. It hurt even more to think that he, Axel, had let it happen without even _trying_ to avoid the catastrophe.

He had to choose the lesser of two evils.

But which one?

"How do I convince Roxas?" Axel finally said resignedly, staring resolutely at his gloves.

Marluxia paused, and looked back over his shoulder. "As I said, I know for a fact that you'd do everything for Larxene. You'll find a way."

And then the doorway was empty, strands of darkness fading slowly from the cool air.

Well, he was right about one thing.

He _will_ do everything for the Savage Nymph. Somehow, he suspected that he still would, even if Sora's shard of heart wasn't beating in his chest right now.

Axel spent the rest of the day staring at the ceiling, formulating his plan.

---------------------

"What do you mean, he's sick?" Naminé demanded, poking Tidus in the chest. The blonde boy eyed her curiously, cerulean blue eyes narrowing.

"Uh, he's sick?" he ventured, laughing slightly. Wakka snickered beside him. She fought the urge to smack their heads together. "No, really, Nam, he's got a really bad case of the cold."

She felt herself blanch; somehow she knew it was because the idiot had given her his jacket to wear. She felt incredibly guilty, and spun on her heels to walk in the general direction of his room.

"Eh? You ain't goin' to the gen'ral assembly?" Wakka's voice called after her.

She rolled her eyes, and looked over her shoulder at the two best friends. "Do you have to ask?"

She was glad to have finally gotten out of the same room of her Other; Kairi was fuming that she had chained down the Princess' memories of meeting Pence, Hayner and Olette. Really. Naminé hadn't meant to--it kinda got in the way, so she chained it down as well. But Kairi was still fuming; it took a persevering Riku to calm her down enough to be able to talked to.

Twilight Town held a lot of bad memories for her; this was where she broke Roxas' soul and uploaded its shattered pieces into a simulated town. This was also where she lost Sora.

She skidded to a stop in front of the room where she had watched the spiky-haired boy disappear into earlier, and she wrenched the door open, panting. Lover or not, best friend or not, Nobody or not, she'll take care of Roxas until her guilt disappears. Blecch.

Number Thirteen was buried under an avalanche of russet orange blankets, a single pale hand sticking out, dangling over the edge of the bed. Naminé crossed the room in less than three seconds and shook the lump that was Roxas.

"Mmahh, go away, Riku, I told you, I'm not sick..." he groaned pitifully, voice muffled under the bedcovers. She rolled her eyes and closed the windows, cutting off the ice-cold draft of Twilight Town. Next, she took firm hold of the blinkets and threw them back, revealing a shivering blonde boy, eyes firmly shut, skin paler than hers. That was saying something.

"You look pathetic," she declared, replacing the blankets.

The pillow covering his head tumbled off, and he shot up to a sitting position--and he collapsed back down again, probably hit by a wave of nausea.

"N-Naminé...what're you doing here?" he asked quietly as she stuffed the pillow back under his head.

"Obviously, I'm here to take care of you," she said sternly, putting her hands on her hips. "Whatever Tidus said, this is not a cold; you have the flu, because you're stupid enough to give me warmth when you yourself need it."

"And I thought you'd thank me," Roxas mumbled sarcastically, shifting so that he faced the other direction.

Sighing, she sat down beside him, sinking into the orange blankets. She placed one hand over his waist and lowered her head next to his, forcing back the giggle bubbling up her throat at the sight of Roxas blushing. "I am. You, mister, are not going out of this room unless you're completely healed. I'm making sure of that."

Well, it was possible. The curfew for room-hopping was at ten; and she had no intention of leaving Roxas sick until then.

"..argh," he muttered.

Ah, the things guilt made her do.

-----------------------

Roxas felt a hand remove the cloth from his forehead, heard water being wrung from it and being emptied into a basin, and felt it placed back again, cooling his burning skin. Naminé was right; it wasn't a cold, he had caught a very nasty flu bug. She had told him that he had a one-hundred-twenty degree fever. If it wasn't for his Nobody side, he would've been dead by now.

Naminé was looking for some Mega-Ethers to help her cast badly-needed Curagas, but Roxas had not thought of bringing one. Apparently, Tidus and Wakka didn't have one too, since she had searched their bags themselves. None of the girls carried such highly-concentrated Items with them. She had no intention of leaving him for extended periods of time, so here they were, alone in this sunlit room for the whole morning and noon now. Naminé had left him only to buy lunch--two tuna sandwiches, and a bottle of paopu juice for each of them.

Cripes, she had insisted on feeding him with the sandwich. I mean, c'mon, how degrading was that?

He growled in his throat, trying to get that happy feeling to go away. He didn't enjoy that. No, he didn't.

...so okay, he did.

"Oh, you're really sick," he heard the girl say softly, and he mumbled an incoherent 'yeah'.

She had taken to kneeling beside his bed and watching him rest and try to get sleep. His face felt hot, but right now, that had nothing to do with the fever.

It showed that Naminé really did care for him.

...or maybe she was just guilty.

Roxas forced his eyes open, and turned his face to look at Naminé. Her face was contorted with worry, and she was clutching tightly at the orange bedspread.

"Nam, you can leave me now, you know," he mumbled.

She burst into tears. "I'm sorry, Roxas. I'm so sorry for being such a stupid girl and taking your jacket. I'm sorry for being so helpless and everything and--"

"...erh...uuhm..Nam, calm down...!" He really was no good with crying girls; that was a common weakness he shared with Sora.

"I was the reason you got sick and now you can't be with Hayner and Pence and Olette because you're stuck here in bed and I was hoping I'll make it all better but no I messed it up and I can't even cure you because I lost all my magic points with breaking the final chain on their memories and on Kairi's, oh, I'm so sorry--"

Emotional pain shot through his heart, and he did the only thing he could think of pacifying the girl. He shifted quickly to the edge of the bed and hugged her, pressing her head gently to his shoulder and wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders. "Nam, don't be stupid. It's not your fault. I'd rather be with you than them, anyway."

He heard her give a strained giggle. "You're such a sap, Roxas."

------------------------

Larxene yawned, and resisted the urge to just fold her arms on the table and use them as a makeshift pillow. Arlene giggled in her head, muttering happily about something involving sleeping draughts and late nights.

"Shut up, Arlene," Larxene murmured, staring at herself in the dresser mirror that the temporary dorms of Twilight Academy had to offer. A woman, roughly twenty years of age, with waist-long golden hair, delicate, almost sharp features, and emerald green eyes stared back at her.

Her heart beat rapidly, and she shook her head, taking deep, calming breaths. Arlene was fighting for control once more. Now that she and Zexion shared a room, and a rather small room at that, there was no telling how desperate Arlene would be to get together with Ienzo.

She wasn't blaming number Six; she had seen him do the same restraining on Ienzo. She had even caught him with teeth gritted and eyes streaming with tears in the room back at the Castle, whimpering about control and his Other over and over again.

He didn't want to lose his identity, and neither did she.

It was once her dream, to get a heart and be able to feel. But now that she had one, she wasn't too keen on the idea. What was the use of having emotions when she herself wasn't the one enjoying them? Arlene and Ienzo had bidden their time; why did they have to ruin hers and Zexion's?

The door opened silently, but Larxene felt the change in air pressure, as she usually did. She looked over her shoulder, knowing it would be the blue-haired scientist she'd see. "Hey, Zex."

"Hello," she heard him reply. She turned her gaze back to the mirror, staring at her reflection dejectedly.

"...if you must know, uhm," he paused. She blinked; number Six's voice had reverted into his Other's younger, more cheerful-sounding one. "Larxene, was it?"

She eyed his figure in the mirror curiously. Ienzo was blushing. This was the first time Ienzo had acknowledged her existence as herself, not as Arlene. "Yep, that's me," she said firmly, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Ienzo crossed the room in four swift steps until he stood right behind her.

"I don't know how to say this, but...my Nobody had already collapsed," he finished in a shaky voice, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Arlene instantly responded and forced Larxene to melt in his arms. Fortunately, she still had control of her voice, and her turmoiled thoughts.

"W-what do you mean, Zexion has collapsed?" she asked, forcing back a moan as Ienzo nipped lightly at her ear. Or rather, Arlene's moan. Oh God, the thin line between her emotions and Arlene's was blurring.

His gloved hands traveled from her shoulders down to her waist, and they crossed each other, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist as he continued to nip her ear, or rather, bite down. Arlene was giggling inanely. "I've finally taken control," he panted rather triumphantly.

_Zexion! No!_

Arlene viciously pushed against the mental wall of defence Larxene had put up, eager to get rid of her. Under any other circumstances, number Twelve would have fought back just as viciously, probably even more, but upon hearing of Zexion's disappearance, she just lost the urge to fight. Zexion was one of the strongest people she knew. How much more for her?

In effect, she had just given up, for the first, and the last time in her existence.

Arlene pushed her aside, her walls breaking and shattering into piles and piles of broken memory. Larxene felt butterfly kisses trail down her neck, and Ienzo's fingers pulling down the back zipper of her black turtleneck. She fled into the darkest recess of the priestess' mind, intending to stay there and ignore everything she had come to see, and feel. She was no longer in control of her body; Arlene was, but she could feel every sensation, every small tremor, every shiver.

Ienzo had pulled Arlene to the orange-blanket covered bed, breath hot and tongues dancing every agonizing step of the way, hands wandering and pulling cloth off where it hid pale white flesh.

Larxene just shut her eyes and willed herself to just die and fade away.

Unfortunately, it was not going to happen.

_Zexion...where are you?_

---------------------------

"...there you are," Naminé groaned, collapsing on the plastic bench beside Riku. She had been searching around the whole Academy for the platinum-haired Wielder, hoping to the high heavens he had a Mega-Ether on him, and found him in the cafeteria. Strangely, people had been rather jittery around the quad...until she found out there had been a Heartless and Nobody dual attack earlier. She wondered inwardly why Roxas didn't feel them coming. Maybe the flu hampered his senses.

His fever had worsened; he was almost one-hundred thirty degrees already. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and she had to leave him for more than five minutes.

"Where's Roxas?" Olette asked suddenly from the other side of the table, making her jump a bit. She raised her bowed head and saw that here was Roxas' friends, all ranged on one side, and Kairi and Riku on the other. They must've been worried; they _were_ supposed to be meeting for ice cream.

"Aww, is he still denying he's sick?" Riku's voice asked, and she managed to quirk a smile.

"I swear to God, he's the stubbornest boy I have ever met," Naminé said heavily, rubbing her temples. Every five seconds or so, when he was awake, Roxas reiterated the fact that he was fine, when he was obviously not. Remembering why she was here, she turned to them. "...do you people have Mega-Ethers on you?"

"Roxas' sick?" Hayner repeated, smirking in a very annoying, and evil, way. "And Naminé's 'doctoring' him? Alone? In your room?"

"I was just returning the favor!" she said furiously, heat creeping up her face in embarrassment as soon as she got what the blonde was implying. She blushed even further when her mouth quirked into another smile. "He was stupid enough to give me his jacket and then get sick himself!"

Kairi giggled.

Pence gagged. "You know, I think I'm on an overdose of couple sweetness. Ugh."

"We are _not_ a couple!" Naminé said vehemently, face turning even redder.

Her Other giggled even more. "Don't be so defensive, " she said from beside Riku.

"I am _not_ defensive!" she yelled. She realized it was the wrong thing to say when the table burst into laughter. Groaning, Naminé put her head in her hands once more, feeling that she needed a Curaga herself.

Riku finally calmed down enough and took out two mega-Ethers from his vest pocket, setting them down in front of her. "Here," he said quietly, unable to keep the grin off his face.

_Finally_, she thought, getting to her feet and smiling gratefully at the Keyblade Master. She shot a death glare at Hayner (making him flinch satisfyingly) and dusted off her white skirt. Looking around, she caught the sight of an ice cream stand, and smiled.

She remembered Roxas loved the blue wonder that was Sea-Salt ice cream; who knows how long since he had tasted one.

Naminé waved at Olette. "How much is a Sea-Salt popsicle? Is it still twenty munny?"

The jade-eyed brunette giggled vehemently, managing a small nod of the head, probably getting _why_ she asked. And probably knowing that she was getting it for Roxas. Heaven knows what else she was thinking. Grunting in reply, she stomped off, leaving a bewildered Kairi behind.

She bought two Rice-in-a-boxes, and a pair of Sea-Salt ice cream cups--dripping ice cream on the dormitory floors was something Twilight Academy would frown upon. Her feet automatically took her to the dormitories, right up to the room she had been occupying the whole day. Awkwardly balancing the paper bags of food, she prepared to kick the door open.

"I'm gonna get Yuna, 'kay!"

Naminé froze as Tidus wrenched the door open. The blonde blitzballer's mouth dropped open for a split second and suddenly curved upward into a knowing smirk. "Well, well, nurse Naminé. Here to take care of patient Roxas?"

"Shut it, Ti," she growled, stepping inside and resisting the urge to kick Tidus in a very private part. The blonde stpped out with that infuriating smirk pasted on his face.

Wakka burst into laughter as she passed his bed. She shot him a glare as she set down the food on the dresser table. Carefully picking out the Mega-Ethers, she stepped lightly next to Roxas' bed. He was sleeping, and still burning-hot to the touch. She downed the two vials of concentrated Ether in one breath.

"Ooh, go nurse Nam!" Wakka whooped.

She shot him a glare.

Pssh. She never really was good at healing...but Roxas was reaching nearly one hundred-fifty degrees. If he went any further, he might burst into flames. Naminé sat beside him, shifting his pillow slightly so that she could sit properly. She brushed the blonde strands of hair from his forehead and placed two fingers on the burning-hot skin.

Roxas snorted slightly, and settled back to sleep.

_"Curaga._"

"_Curaga_."

"_Curaga_."

She staggered slightly as the draining effect of the spell on the caster started to take place. Roxas seemed a little less paler now, but his breathing was still uneven.

"_Curaga_."

"_Curaga_."

"_Curaga_."

"_Curaga_."

"_Curaga_."

Her knees wavered, and she fought the urge to collapse right then and there. Panting, she summoned the strength to case more spells; the Mega-Ethers could only go so far. His skin felt much less warmer under her trembling fingertips.

"_Curaga_."

"_Curaga_."

She heard Wakka gasp in disbelief. It also seemed that Riku had returned from the cafeteria, judging from the voice that yelled her name. But she was too focused on casting the Healing spells to notice.

"_Curaga_."

"_Curaga_."

"_Cu--_" her Spellcasting had reached its limit; and her voice died in her throat. Drained of energy, she collapsed on the bed, dimly remembering Roxas' breathing smoothing out evenly.

At least her guilt was gone completely.

--------------------

Roxas woke, as suddenly as if someone had emptied a bucket of ice water over his head. Groaning, he sat up to the sound of Wakka snoring, and the clock mounted high on the wall registered nine thirty-six in the evening. Beside him, Naminé shifted slightly and went back to sleep.

"What the heck!" he yelled, jolting the girl out of her slumber. Naminé blushed so much that she seemed to be glowing in the twilight. Wakka snorted, and turned over. "What're you doing here?"

She seemed to have frozen on the bed, cerulean eyes staring back at him fearfully.

Roxas noticed the Post-it stuck on his bedside table.

_Dude, Naminé Curaga-ed you so much she passed out. On your bed. Yeah. Let her sleep. And noo, not that way._

He turned mutely to the flaxen-haired girl, who was now pretending to be engrossed in a small, black notebook she presumably had gotten under their pillow, in desperation to hide her blushing face.

Roxas blanched.

Wakka snored.

"I take it that this is not your own," she said quietly, looking over the pages, cerulean eyes searching. She was still blushing, however.

"Not here!" he hissed. "Riku might come back and see it!"

Naminé closed Sora's journal with a barely audible snap, eyebrows furrowed. She was probably still in shock from reading the first page; Sora had written a verse poem on it. And probably from the blood seeped through practically every leaf. His Nobody had spilled one of his paopu-blood packs on it, it seemed.

It suddenly came to his attention that her legs were still touching his, and he turned scarlet.

"Let's just...go, okay?"

-------------------

"Roxas, of all the places, why the _hell_ d'you have to portal us here?" she demanded, black looseleaf journal still clutched tightly in her arms. He shrugged, and sat on the white table.

Her room. They were in Naminé's room in the Old Mansion, the one with all white walls and white curtains and white paper sketches. Her makeshift prison; a reflection of her even whiter room in Castle Oblivion. Here and there was dotted the crude images detailing Sora and Roxas' life.

However, number Thirteen only seemed vaguely interested, after all, he had probably committed those sketches to heart. Shard of heart. Half-shard of heart. Whatever it was that he had. Trembling, she sat down in her familiar white chair, and opened the notebook.

Never had she seen so much hatred and despair put down in ink.

Roxas hummed lightheartedly; she assumed he had already read through his Nobody's journal.

As she pored through the pages, the entries only got darker and darker. She glanced up at Roxas, whose eyes were looking everywhere except the notebook. She wondered whether Roxas kept a journal like this, and whether the entries spoke of bloodlust and rage all the same. After all, he was only a reflection of Sora, whatever anybody said.

Her gaze traveled down the pages silently, and one entry caught her eye.

_I've already got a hitlist, and guess what? King Mickey and Roxas are the top two. Yay. I know I'll kill the mouse slowly and painfully, but Roxas? I dunno. Maybe together with that witch Naminé. Antiform tells me...I don't really want to, but Antiform tells me. I can't even say what's my own voice and what's his. I hate being like this..._

She swallowed painfully; so _that_ was how Sora felt...

Naminé felt Roxas stiffen slightly as his stormy blue eyes fell on the paragraph she was reading.

She knew they were both thinking of remerging.

...why couldn't they live happily ever after? Just because they weren't the main characters in the story didn't mean they weren't supposed to be happy...

The door suddenly opened, white doors swinging inward with a whoosh of air, revealing the very reason why they portalled here in the first place. It was so impossible her mind spun round and round until she felt like throwing up. It seemed like it was arranged; of all the places and of all the times _why_ did those two have to come in _here_ and _now_?

Come to think of it...Riku might just be giving Kairi a tour of his once-home. And it was done late night because they simply did not have time earlier.

But it looked all too arranged to her.

Roxas cursed fluently, and Naminé cringed. "Eheh...what...uhm...brings you here?" she asked in what she fervently hoped was a calm voice.

Riku stared at her bemusedly, tilting his head and aquamarine eyes crinkling with happiness. "The view," he said shortly, gesturing to the wall of windows of her room. Kairi then sprinted to the windows, pressing her hand to it like an overexcited child. The Wielder laughed softly.

God forbid they read the journal. She cringed once more, and exchanged glances with Roxas. He looked like he had swallowed an unripe paopu fruit.

The platinum-haired boy wound an arm around the redhead's shoulders, and she leant back into him.

"Okaay," he managed to choke out, in reply to Riku's casual answer. Kairi looked back curiously, and Naminé pasted a smile on her face. Three years of being a Nobody had taught her how to show feelings when she shouldn't be; to show fake smiles and frowns and the such.

"What are you two doing here, anyway?" Riku asked thoughtfully, a small smile playing around his pale lips.

Her shard of heart shot up in her throat, and Roxas' hand skittered over to cover hers, giving it a small squeeze. The glances they exchanged with each other was one of nervousness. "Physics!" the blonde said airily. "I really can't get it, you know, heh."

She nodded quickly in agreement.

Riku shrugged. "Well, don't let us bother you," he said softly, not really looking at them. He tipped up Kairi's face by the chin and stole a kiss.

Naminé felt her heart sieze in pain; it was just so wrong to see her and him. It was supposed to be her and Sora. And it was all because she, Roxas, the entire Organization, followed the orders of a king who betrayed the realm of light.

Cringing, she averted her gaze and resumed reading the journal, under the pretense of teaching Roxas Lifestream Physics. They couldn't just go and portal out; it'd look highly suspicious.

"Mmmhmm...don't let us bother you..." she heard Kairi murmur, and she had no intention of seeing what she and Riku were doing right now.

Roxas made a gagging sound.

She turned the bloodstained page, and found a note tucked between the inked pages.

"..._it's the note King Mickey sent, it's what set him off on a crash course around the Worlds. It's also what made him leave Kairi in the first place_," the blonde boy whispered carefully shifting his position that he hid the note from view. Not that the two would look at them; they were caught in what sounded like a heated--

_Sora, _

_I'm sorry to bother you on such short notice, but this concerns the Keyblade. You see, there are still worlds out there that still have their hearts unlocked. I've just recently discovered this, and if the hearts remain unsealed, Emblems will continue to try and take over the heart, and I cannot allow that. I cannot ask Riku to do this, because no matter what happens, darkness has already planted a seed in his heart that cannot be uprooted. Constant contact with such power from the heart of a world will turn him. Please, go and seal those worlds, or Kingdom Hearts will fall, and all existence with it. Your duty calls, Wielder. Go alone. Do not endanger a princess of heart. I _really_ am sorry._

_Mickey_

_And this message can only be seen by you. Others see something about you and Riku's knighting. _

"...oh, and this one..._oh God_," she burst out, immediately clamping a hand to her mouth. No wonder Sora was so bitter against the mouse monarch; King Mickey was the reason why he had to leave Kairi and Riku in the first place.

...but come to think about it, it was none of the King's fault. The Keyblade had chosen him as a Wielder. Not only that, but as the Key to Kingdom Hearts itself. So it was really Sora's fate to end up as a crusader, never settling in one place.

It was nobody's fault, it dawned on her.

She was grateful it was not Roxas who had been called.

Naminé was suddenly very aware of eyes boring their stare into the side of her head. Her throat constricted in fear as she stole a frightened glance at the two, who were still locked together in an embrace.

"Feh!" Roxas said with false cheer. "Don't mind us!"

She bobbed her head with mechanical enthusiasm, making sure her smile was still firmly in place. Her spine crawled with fear and nervousness. One wrong move, and they'd have to reveal everything--

"And what's this formula for, Nam?" the blonde boy beside her asked, jabbing a finger into the note. She immediately cottoned on that she had to play along with this, and she was never more willing to do so.

"Oh! That's for Materia Efficiency. Work times energy over--"

She had only a split second's warning, noticing the shadow that her furious Other cast over the white table. She snatched up the note just before Kairi slapped down her hand on the white table.

"Give. Me. That." her steely voice said dangerously. Naminé looked up into her beryl eyes and saw nothing but raw anger. It was a terrifying sight to behold, to tell the truth. They had no chance to play dumb now; from the look on her face, Kairi was more likely to kill them than forgive them.

Riku put a restraining hand on her shoulder, but Kairi took no notice. Both their eyes trained their glance on the note, and they simultaneously blanched. Suddenly the Princess of Heart's hand shot out and snatched the piece of parchment from her hold, reading it.

If the situation hadn't been so serious it would've been fun to watch both of their eyebrows climb so high they were in danger of disappearing into their hair. Her Other swayed on her feet unsteadily, and Riku had to hold her shoulders straight.

"Naminé, this isn't good," Roxas breathed.

As tempting it was to roll her eyes heavenwards because of Mr. Obvious, she did not. She had a feeling the gesture would not be appreciated.

"The hell it's not," Kairi swore softly. That was the first time she had heard her Other swear--bluntly put, she was pissed off. The Princess then wrenched herself free of Riku's grip, stepping and leaning closer to them. Roxas immediately portalled over to Naminé's other side. She herself was backing into the chair short of the point of making it topple over.

"Kairi, no..." Riku repeated, but he trailed off, wisely knowing when to give up.

Her teeth ground against one another, and she tensed, ready to portal away in a split-second notice of Kairi's violence.

The redwine-locked girl was pale white with fury. Naminé decided right then and there never, ever get on a Princess of Heart's bad side. Kairi took a deep breath, and screamed.

"How the _hell_ did you get this?"

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wieehh.

there you are.

it's the beginning of the end; it'll be quite action-y (if there was such a term) from here on.

any questions? I'll get back to ya.

I have art for Nobody's Perfect on deviantart. yay. http/ please?


	18. Seen

**A/N: For the love of the Creator, read this author's note first. Even if it's the first and last time you'll ever read one.**

This is a merge of Trinity and Nobody's Perfect. I have decided to merge the two. Why?

(a) The ending is merged. Also, some of the scenes in NP are critical to Trinity, and vice-versa.

(b) It takes me WAY too long to post with two of these things.

So.

The downside is, the chapters shall get longer. Either that, or I chop it in half and leave a **cliffhanger**.

**Chapter 24 of Trinity and chapter 18 of Nobody's Perfect are exactly the same.**

The next post will be in Trinity, while Nobody's Perfect will be, well, be on **permanent hiatus**, since its content is in Trinity already. I am chopping off the Trinity part of the title, so the merged ending will be under the title **You Don't Miss It 'till It's Gone**.

Look out for it.

Here are the summaries. If you have read both sister fanfics, skip the walls of text to the story already.

**Trinity Recap: ** Sora recieves a note from King Mickey, reminding him (more like ordering him) to go seal all Keyholes _alone_. Understandably, Kairi's mad that he would choose duty over love. Sora leaves and life goes on at Destiny Islands. However, the brunet, almost driven crazy by Roxas' constant nattering about his existence (b'cause Roxas did not know that he would still be Roxas after merging with Sora), brings back Organization XIII with the power given to him by Kingdom Hearts, locking himself in Kingdom Hearts as he did so.

Roxas tells Riku, but not Kairi. Naminé chains down every memory of Kairi's that has a connection to Organization XIII, since Sora, obviously, does not want her to know what he had just done.

Sora returns to seal Destiny Island's Keyhole on the eve of Destiny Academy's Halloween Dance. There, Kairi, pissed off, shatters his heart. Riku does worse: he only stands by and watches, not caring if his best friend was slowly dying of heartbreak.

So anyway. The days pass and Kairi feels more and more guilty, until the Knighting. Here King Mickey taps forbidden magic to bind Riku and Sora to the light with the use of the Dark Keyblade and the seven Princesses of Heart. However, since Kairi hates Sora's guts, her once pure touch had been twisted to the touch of darkness. Thus, it has no effect on Riku, but on Sora, it released his Antiform.

Antifrom insults Kairi, but the girl and Riku only sees that it is Sora who did so. Riku hits Sora, angry, and the confused brunet runs off into his nightmare. Antiform steps out of Sora and kills the Keyblade Master, holding onto his soul long enough to rip out his heart. King Mickey and Xemnas arrive on the scene, and Antiform falls back into Sora for refuge.

King Mickey, instead of saying that Sora's half-dead, says that the brunet has decided to continue on sealing Keyholes. Kairi snaps. Sora, knowing that he has to get rid of Antiform, stabs himself with the Dark Keyblade. It releases the thirteen shards of his heart to the Organization.

Sora is now half-Heartless and half-Nobody; neither Riku nor Kairi know. He has an unusual craving for blood and he either (a) drinks from a paopu-flavored blood tetra pack or (b) hunts down Organization members and mauls them.

Riku and Kairi are now a couple, spurred on by Kairi's antiform (now on the loose 'cause Naminé's not there to control her) whispering in her ear.

Sora attacks King Mickey to get the Reverse Keyblade, since his own Kingdom Key would not answer his call anymore.

Currently they are on a field trip to Twilight Town. It is nine fifty-seven in the evening, and it will be an evening to change everything.

**Nobody's Perfect Recap: **Roxas has just watched Sora lock himself in Kingdom Hearts. He frees Naminé from Kairi and goes back to the Castle That Never Was. Organization XIII is back.

Roxas and Naminé are confused about their relationship; the girl insists they only love each other because Sora and Kairi loves each other. They're living on borrowed feelings. Roxas insists on the opposite, but keeps quiet in order to keep Naminé happy.

Axel and Larxene, as usual, fight and demolish a whole wing of the Castle. Existing goes on for the Nobodies, and Xemnas finds out King Mickey's insane plan for a Knighting. Luxord conducts a drinking game, where (a) he wins twenty thousand munny, (b) Naminé and Larxene get drunk, (c) Roxas spends the whole evening looking out for Naminé, and (d) Axel kisses Larxene.

The Knighting goes wrong, and Xemnas portals Sora back to the Castle with the King forbidding them to tell anyone else. Sora stabs himself with the Dark Keyblade, intending to kill both himself and Antiform, but ends up releasing his heart's shards into the Thirteenth Order.

Roxas gets more and more restless, and Zexion and Larxene start to revert to their Others, who were frustrated lovers while they lived.

More Organization members fall victim to Sora's bloodthirst. Heartless attack Destiny Academy, and Roxas picks up Sora's journal. Naminé still vehemently denies that Roxas loves her and vice-versa. Axel, spurred on by Marluxia, decides to ask Roxas to stab both Zexion and Larxene with the Dark Keyblade to stop them from reverting completely. He does not want to lose Larxene.

They, currently, are on a field trip to Twilight Town, where Naminé restores the broken memories of Roxas' friends, Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Roxas is down with the flu and the girl stands guard over him the whole day, finally ending up giving him thirteen Curagas to cure him.

Larxene reverts completely to Arlene once Ienzo tells her that Zexion had already fallen.

It is currently nine-fifty seven in the evening, and they had just been caught by Riku and Kairi reading the note that started it all. It will be a night that Roxas and Naminé will never forget.

Okay. I'd better stop before somebody reports me for abuse.

**Disclaimer: **I'd be the girl who actually _knows_ what Kairi's last name is if I owned KH.

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-----------------------

**XXIV: S**_ee_**n**

**--------------------**

"How the _hell_ did you get this?"

Now, Kairi wasn't really the type of person to curse--she _was_ a Princess of Heart, for crying out loud!

However, as the rough suface of the parchment rubbed against her trembling fingertips mockingly, she really did feel this was the occasion for which her behavior might be excused.

She absolutely refused to look at that piece of ragged paper for anymore time than she had to, partly because she had already committed the image to her mind. Dried crimson on one corner, coming apart at the folded edges, hastily scribbled writing in faded black ink, and a message that tore their lives apart.

Naminé's cerulean blue eyes darted everywhere except to meet her gaze. If it was possible, the blonde girl had paled even more, and her lips were pursed together.

Roxas, however, was a different story. His mouth opened and closed much like how a goldfish does when it breathes--only strained syllables and incoherent mumbles came out.

Right now, Kairi didn't really care.

All she wanted to know was _how they got the note._

"Uh," Roxas said in a voice he obviously thought was calm and even. Which, unfortunately, wasn't. "Sora gave it to me when, uhm, before he took off for the Knighting. Yeah."

"Why would he give it to you?" she demanded furiously.

"Because...he didn't want it around--" he started, but Riku cut him off with a voice that could slice through steel like a white-hot knife through butter.

"Excuse me," Kairi looked over her shoulder, catching the terrible sight of Riku in a silent fury, "but I live with Sora, and know for a fact that he doesn't let that note out of his sight. And why give it to you when he could give it to either me or Kairi?"

The blonde spiky-haired boy blanched, whipped his little black notebook from the table with a pale hand, tucked it underneath his jacket and sprang to his feet, slowly backing away.

Naminé did the same, toppling the marble chair over with sheer fright.

Both looked very panicked.

If Nobodies could feel panic.

If Kairi were in their footsteps, panic would be the least of their problems.

"_WHY!_" she screamed once more, so loudly that she swore she heard the panes of glass wobble dangerously. Salt brimmed at the edges of her eyes, threatening to spill at the slightest provocation.

If Roxas and Naminé had the note, it meant that Sora was still in contact with them. That meant they were lying. And that meant that they were hiding something; something so important that it overshadowed the need to tell her and Riku. The mere thought frightened her out of her wits; what _was_ Sora doing out there?

...but King Mickey never lied.

"...for the love of the Creator, please answer," Riku said quietly from behind her, and Kairi heard the now-familiar _swish _of a Keyblade being summoned. She didn't need to look back to know that the midnight blue Way to the Dawn was clutched securely in Riku's fist.

She ground her teeth and advanced on her Nobody. Naminé pressed herself against her white walls, partially covering a crude drawing of

_sand sky beach tree star-fruit a glorious trinity a friendship_

a very familiar tree trunk, bent and heavy with ripe paopu fruit, on which two people sat and a third person leant

_and all her memories came crashing down pounding like the surf on a golden beach cerulean and aquamarine and beryl_

"_Answer me!_" she roared, tears streaming down her face now, partly of rage and party out of fear and partly out of disbelief but mostly of the expression dawning on both the golden-haired teenagers' faces.

Pity.

Their eyes reflected it obviously.

Kairi thought she saw a tear quiver at the edge of Naminé's eye.

"_Duck!_" Roxas suddenly yelled, definite panic contorting his face. Heart pounding, she immediately buckled her knees and crouched low. She heard Riku yell a hurried Reflectga and saw sparkling shards of glass shower all around her, every piece reflecting the twilight and the sunrise and sunset.

Judgin from the stunned look on Naminé's face, the wall of windows had just shattered.

"Not _now_!" the flaxen haired girl moaned exasperatedly, skittling fingers finding the golden doorknob of her white door and hurriedly wrenching it open.

Riku pulled her up, and she whirled around, eyes widening and staring, unable to tear the gaze away.

A colossal Darkside stared back at her, Neoshadows flooding down its arms to its hand amongst the shattered glass windows and marble frames.

"Run!" Roxas screamed.

---------------

"What the _hell_ do you mean, you sent five hundred platoons?"

_"The platoon earlier was for recon, Sir. And we did send ten Darkside sentries. Just in case."_

Sora bellowed, chest tightening uncomfortably with a feeling he had not remembered feeling for a nearly a year. Fear from Roxas coursed through his veins. Fifty platoons meant nearly a hundred thousand Heartless--and those who had been sent were purely Neoshadows, which were ruthless killers.

Even for a Keyblade Master and a Princess of Heart, they stood no chance of surviving the onslaught. Not unless Kairi unleashed her powers, but the chances were remote. Even if she did, they'd have a hard time. Killing Neoshadows may be easy, but the exhaustion was a whole different thing altogether.

"_...Sir Sora?"_

"NO!" He yelled, already halfway through opening a portal to Twilight Town--to the Old Mansion. His mind worked furiously, blurting out the first thing that came to his mind. "The Princess is _mine!_"

-----------------

The Neoshadow stared at its superior as the fallen Keyblade Master disappeared into the Corridors, and chuckled inwardly.

_"...eh. Sir Sora, always taking the tastiest ones for himself..."_

-----------------

"Please?"

"Please please please? Come _on_!"

"Please?"

Xemnas sighed tiredly and narrowed his eyes. "Stay out of trouble. Don't drown anyone while we're there."

Demyx resisted the urge to whoop; that would definitely make the Superior think twice about letting him tag along on the way to Disney Castle. He was getting supremely bored in the Castle That Never Was; Axel had locked himself in his room, Marluxia had occupied himself in his garden, and both Larxene and Roxas were on that field trip to Twilight Town. Sora had portalled off somewhere. The other people in the Castle might maim him if he got too close. Hm. Maybe he had pissed them off a tad too much.

He started humming softly as Xemnas checked himself and opened a portal to the Corridors. Demyx never exactly got _why_ their leader kept on visiting someone who just ruined an innocent (back then) boy's life. If he was in the Superior shoes, heck, he'd let the monarch die anyway.

He followed Xemnas into the portal, and stepped out almost immediately into Disney Castle.

Eh. It didn't look too different from their own Castle. Except that _this_ place at least had some other color draperies than white. Scarlet red banners bearing the ebony three-linked circles of Disney hung from the ceiling, and lush (and somewhat battered) red carpet lined the marble floors. Hm. He had heard that Disney Castle had some sort of protection against darkness, so why were they able to portal in just now?

He followed Xemnas as he walked down the Colonnade, footsteps silent on the carpet. It was a miracle no palace employees were around.

The silver-haired leader stopped.

"Demyx."

"Yeah, Superior?" he asked.

"I'd rather see the King alone," Xemnas continued. "You're free to tour the Castle. Just don't let anyone know you're...well, that you're number Nine. Or else."

"Aww." He furrowed his eyebrows and pouted. "Fine."

"Don't sound so sad; you're the one who wanted to come with me in the first place."

"I said _fine_," he retorted sulkily, glaring at the Superior's back as he continued walking, presumably towards King Mickey's chambers. Fat lot of good that did him. He adjusted the silver Nobody seal stude on his earlobe (not that anyone would recognize it, c'mon, all the people here didn't believe that Organization XIII existed, much less have a symbol) and started walking aimlessly.

It sucked that he couldn't portal around--if someone saw him stepping out or even summoning a portal they'd surely raise the alarm, and Demyx was absolutely positive that the Superior would not like that.

Ack.

"...yes. Tomorrow, Etoile. We'll try again. Noo, tomorrow's the last trial. Out! Shoo!"

He looked over his shoulder in time to see a girl with immaculately-curled hair and a waterfall of pink satin skirt huff out of a door and stomp down the corridor in the opposite direction. Said door slammed shut and the corridor was silent once more.

Demyx's ears perked up. If he wasn't mistaken, that was _music_ that he had heard. Oh yeah. That could really brighten up his day. Walking up to the door, he wrenched it open.

"I _told_ you Etoile! Tomo--" a brunette paused her oncoming tirade, and sighed. "Oh. I thought you were somebody else."

But he was too preoccupied with gawking at the room he had just entered. The walls were all draped in black, and no less than three tiers of seats occupied the entire room (which was the size of a small auditorium) in a semicircular fashion. Every chair had a music stand in front of it, and only a few people were seated--some were practicing violin, others flutes, still others oboes and other instruments. Shiny, brass and silver instruments.

His fingers itched to summon his Sitar, but something told him that wasn't exactly the right thing to do.

"Nice, eh? I take it this is your first time to enter the Music Room," she commented happily.

"Imaginative name," he said dryly, eyes roving.

She clasped her hands together. "Soundproof. We have our own acoustic system and the biggest range of instruments you could ever find in the Worlds. The best musicians, too."

Demyx blinked. So _this_ was the Disney Orchestra Larxene was harping on about? It was awesome. Well, to him, that was.

"Hey, can I borrow one of your guitars?" he requested. If he didn't play any time soon his fingers might just take over his mind and summon his Sitar for him. A water-wrought instrument appearing out of thin air was something people would definitely consider freaky.

The brunette shrugged. "Sure. Anything to get you youngsters interested in music."

He snickered, watching as she retrieved a guitar case from one of the many hung on the walls and unzipped it. Youngster? He didn't think he looked _that_ young, thank you very much.

"Hey...how come _that_ violin isn't in a case?" he asked, pointing to one of the instruments cradled in braces high up the wall.

"Oh, that," she sighed dreamily. "That's a violin I have reserved for an amazing violinist. If she decides to come back..."

"Ah. Larxene," he mumbled.

She handed him the guitar with an air of wide-eyed surprise. "You know her?"

Demyx shrugged. He had the temptation to say 'Not only that, but she long ago tried to kill me on a regular basis', but his words came out as "Yeah, we're friends."

"Wow. Well, if you see her, please tell her to stop by Disney Castle again and see me, Shelinda."

_Not an option_, he thought inwardly, since Larxene was much too preoccupied with trying not to revert, and Zexion was making that a very hard thing to do. But he nodded all the same. "Sure, Shelinda. I'm Demyx, by the way."

She smiled warmly, and clapped her hands. "Well, Demyx. Want to start with the basics?"

"I know a little," he answered. "Let me play something. Erm. How about this?" He ambled over to a random chair and plopped down on it, instantly recognizing the notes on the white music sheet clipped to the stand. He must've stumbled across the seat of the solo guitarist.

Perfect.

Shelinds looked dubious. "That's a slightly advanced piece, Demyx. If you know only a little, then that is definitely not for you."

"Nah," he waved a hand dismissively, and poised a hand over the strings. "It's okay, I can try, can't I?"

She frowned. "Go ahead."

Demyx grinned. She had no idea that his music could actually kill if he wanted too. Not to brag, but he was _that_ good. Maybe it was a good thing that he left Xemnas alone, after all.

-----------------

They hurtled through the hallway, Kairi almost toppling over the handrail twice. Heartless rose from the floor as they streaked past, black antennae of darkness brushing their feet as they ran. It took the combined force of Riku and Roxas' Keyblades to merely clear their way through the first landing of the grand stairs.

Riku cursed out loud, and Roxas did the same. Naminé's grip on her hand tightened.

The first floor was not visible under the teeming darkness that was thousands of Neoshadows. They seemed to be waiting for them to come down. Even as she thought of this Neoshadows rose beneath her feet, and it took a few well-placed and hasty swipes of the Way to the Dawn to clear them.

"Summon, now!" Naminé yelled, releasing Kairi's hand and raising her own, in imitation of her summoning her Dusks on the beach over half a year ago. Roxas crossed Oblivion over the Oathkeeper, and frightening Slayer Nobodies answered his call, claws sharp and shining in the orange light.

Dusks flooded the stair steps behind the blonde girl, and the two Nobodies simultaneously gestured to the Heartless flood, shouting one word.

"_Attack!_"

What happened after was pure chaos. Kairi dearly wished she had the foresight to bring her crossbow. She planted a foot firmly into one Neoshadow's general torso and kicked it into the nearest suit of armor, backing into Riku slightly to avoid a swipe at her face.

"Riku! Kairi! Get out of this place!" she discerned Roxas' strained voice over the Heartless screams, and the platinum-haired Wielder struggled to clear a path for them through the creatures. His fingers pulled away from hers, and Kairi was pushed deeper into the Neoshadows. She was knocked down to her feet, hands scrabbling uselessly at the ancient layer of dust covering the hardwood floors.

She desperately focused her magic on _just getting out of here_, and prepared to cast the most powerful Firaga she had ever dared to cast.

"_Kairi!"_ she heard Naminé scream shrilly, and no less than ten Dusks immediately set to work clearing the area around her. Kairi took a deep breath and bellowed ," _Firaga!"_, immediately incinerating both Heartless and Nobody around her in a three-foot radius.

But it was no use. The more she defeated, the more they seemed to be spurred on. She started wondering whether this might be a trap or not; she had never seen Heartless in a flock as large as this. Exhaustion was starting to creep in, and she yelled out Riku's name. He shouted back in reply, the sight of him blocked by the Neoshadows. Roxas' Keyblades were carving death into the darkness, but Naminé was nowhere in sight.

It was hopeless.

Fatigue seeped into her very bones.

She fervently hoped for a miracle.

"_No! Retreat! RETREAT!"_

...and miraculously, the Heartless crowd seemed to thin around her, until she could finally see Riku and Roxas, albeit still a bit blocked by the number of Heartless around each of them, clamoring for the Keyblades' touch.

...what?

What did that mean, retreat?

And it seemed she had heard the voice before...

Her feet seemed frozen to the spot in fear, and they refused to follow her mind's commands. She cried out for the platinum-haired Wielder in fright. "Riku!"

"_Get DOWN!" _a voice yelled hoarsely, and Kairi vaguely saw a shadow hurtle out of the advancing Neoshadows in front of her, knocking aside the Heartless and pinning her to the ground.

A Neoshadow lashed out with razor-sharp claws at where her neck should have been if she had not been knocked down.

Oh God, a talking Neoshadow, she thought, as her vision blurred under a veil of tears, her assaulter shadowed by the crowd of Neoshadows pressing against them. It turned to face her left, shouting out orders. Incredibly stupid orders, if she might add. She stared at the sickly yellow eye with revulsion, but she couldn't take her eyes off it.

"_Retreat! Damn it!_" it yelled, pressing her shoulders to the floor almost cruelly, knees (-_oh God did Neoshadows have knees?-_) straddling her and pinning her hands to the floor. She was feeling incredibly caged, and her feet drummed uselessly on the ground. Cripes, it was either she got killed by an entire horde of Neoshadows, or by a single one.

She heard Naminé scream.

"Let me go!" she yelled as loud as she can, hoping to shatter whatever Heartless had for eardrums. If they could hear, that was.

The shadowed figure over her trailed off mid-command, slowly turning to face her. "K-Kairi...?"

Sky-blue eye and glowing yellow eye stared into her own eyes blankly, and she felt its--his hands tighten convulsively around her shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat as mahogany brown hair fell haphazardly over sky blue, and ebony did the same over pale yellow. Lips moved soundlessly, pouting, brooding lips she had not seen for nearly a year.

It was so impossible her head spun.

_black and darkness and light and splotches of crimson and_

A silver crown pendant dangled on its equally silver chain, sparkling in the twilight streaming in from the shattered windows.

Her heart constricted painfully, and she managed to choke out the first thing that came to her mind.

"...Sora?"

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**A/N: **Demyx does have an important role! Believe me! It's in the Grand Plot!

I have noticed that you people have, er, rather, vehement questions about the ultimate fate of this fanfic. Well.

I am sure this WILL end a Sokai. And I am sure someone dies. Or fades away. Or something. They just...go. I'm not entitling it "You Don't Miss It 'till It's Gone" if somebody's not gonna _go_, right? Right?

Happy or sad ending? Ah. Nobody knows except me.

Kairi? The journal?

Well, I can say one thing. When she reads it, it's not going to be a pretty sight.

And for those people who detest cliffhangers---I'm sorry. But I do have a truckload of those things. So I'll try to update fast. Key word there being _try_.

Now, tell me if it's a good idea to merge. If not, I'll try to stick to Trinity and Nobody's Perfect, anyway.

Read, review. Flames are accepted.


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